Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban Redeux
by DannyPhanto fan
Summary: Things are getting darker in Harry's world, the Ministry's a joke, so Dumbledore calls in some unconventional allies.
1. Chapter 1

**Protection Detail**

**Disclaimer**_**: I don't own Ben 10 and/or Ben 10: Alien Force and/or Ben 10: Ultimate Alien and/or any and/or all concepts and/or characters. They are copyrighted to Man of Action and Cartoon Network Studios. Likewise the Harry Potter Series is not mine, Harry Potter and all related characters and/or concepts are trademarked and copyrighted To JK Rowling. I am a mere Fanfiction author. With far too much time on her hands and no social life.**_

**Warning/Author's Notes:**_** This takes place during Harry's third year. While the book series takes place in the 90's originally, for the purpose of this story the book series and thus the Golden Trio's schooling and adventures take place in the 2000's. Specifically the 2003-2004 time frame. The Ben 10 (Ultimate Alien) characters' birthdays have been moved back and most of their adventures occurred in the late nineties and early 2000's, in this story. I have kept Canon, of both series, as intact as I could while doing this. I have completely disregarded the time-travel plots and the Buckbeak issues. Also, once again, I do not speak Latin or know the grammical rules. I just have a Classical Latin to English dictionary. Also, Hagrid's dialogue; I'm not going to even try. Just imagine it as he would say it. Please remember that this is my first real crossover, multi-chaptered and all that.**_

**Pairings: **_**Gwen/Kevin, Ben/Julie, Harry/Hermione.**_

**Rated:**_** T**_

**Chapter One: Packing and Saying Goodbye**

"Two hours people!" Gwen Tennyson called out as she and her friends rushed around, preparing for departure.

"In our time or theirs?" Ben Tennyson, her cousin, asked, sliding past her to pack yet more socks and underwear into a new luggage trunk bearing his initials.

"Ours." She responded as she packed winter clothes into an identical trunk with her initials, "Kev, you heard the Professor. No weapons are allowed."

Kevin Levin grumbled and began unpacking his favorite firearms from his trunk. The loony old man that appeared from nowhere a month ago was a sissy. No weapons, only wands. What good would a wand do when he couldn't do more than shoot a few sparks? How were they supposed to protect this 'Harry Potter' brat without a little violence?

"Remember to leave room for books and supplies," Julie Yamamoto voiced.

"Got that covered Jules," Ben replied, "Kevin's going to bug the trunks, make them able to hold an infinite amount of things."

"Don't forget Mister Foozy-Woozy, Ben, you still have nightmares without him." Gwen reminded him and her cousin flushed. "I don't need a plushie Gwen." He sniffed but she soon saw him place a stuffed dog into his trunk.

"Kev, I have your meds with me," she continued, "enough for the school year."

"You have the sedatives too then?"

"Yeah, but we won't need to use them…Julie, do you have Ben's ADD meds?"

"Yes, and the instructions from Cooper."

"And your epi-pens right?"

"Of course, calm down Gwen…"

Gwen took a calming breath and smiled apologetically, "Sorry guys, it's just we're going to a magical school in England…that's pretty far from home you know and I don't want any one of us to get there and realize we forgot something important. Especially with medications…I mean I'm sure they got magical meds and stuff but the stuff we use are tried and true…"

"We get it we get it," Ben sighed, "when mom's away the kids don't play."

"We're on duty the whole way through this Ben, we don't have time for 'play'," Gwen frowned, finally slamming her trunk shut, "You heard Professor Dumbledore, this Voldemort guy is just as bad as Vilgax and seemingly immortal. And he wants Harry Potter, a thirteen year old boy, dead. And with magic in play anything's possible…"

"You brought your spellbooks then?" Kevin asked.

"The more powerful ones yes. I doubt they'll be used in class though…and we are all going to pass this year right guys?"

"Of course," Julie nodded.

"Maybe," replied Ben, and then Julie glared at him, "Sure."

"No." Kevin mumbled.

Gwen smiled reassuringly, "We'll help you, you'll pass; I promise."

Before he could speak a word the fireplace roared to life with emerald flames and a giant of a man stood in the living room.

"Tennyson, is anyone named Tennyson here?" he spoke with a harsh, almost Scottish, accent.

"Yes sir. You must be Hagrid." Gwen stepped forward to offer her hand in a handshake. He shook her whole arm, "I'm Gwen Tennyson," she introduced herself before pointing out her friends, "he's Ben Tennyson, she's Julie Yamamoto, and he's Kevin Levin."

"I'm Rubeus Hagrid, keeper of keys and grounds at Hogwarts; I'm here to escort you to Diagon Alley. Grab your trunks and line up…"

"Right. Mom! Dad!"

The three with parents called and said parents assembled.

Hugs and goodbyes were exchanged before they each stepped into the fireplace, with a handful of glittery green powder, and disappeared into emerald flames.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two: Meeting Up and Shopping**

They were spat out onto a wooden floor and each other.

"Get off me!" Gwen moaned from somewhere under the pile. On top of her lay a disoriented Kevin, on top of him laid a nauseas Ben on top of who lay a very dizzy Julie for whom the room was currently spinning.

"First time flooing huh?" a young, clearly amused, voice spoke from somewhere above them and then Gwen felt the weight crushing her beginning to leave as that same young voice introduced himself, "I'm Harry, Harry Potter. You four must be my bodyguards. You're wasting your time though." Kevin was finally moved off her and she stretched out every bone in her body before getting up and being able to see their charge. He was about as tall as her, maybe a few inches shorter and was rail thin almost sickly looking. His hair was jet black and he had green eyes that rivaled her own. They were of course behind a pair of glasses. On his forehead was his famous lightening bolt shaped scar.

He smiled and extended his hand, "I'm Harry. You're Gwen right?"

She smiled and shook hands, "Yes. How did you know?"

"Dumbledore said the one with the Weasley hair is Gwen Tennyson…"

"Weasley—?"

"You'll meet them soon enough." He motioned to the building they were in, "Welcome to the Leaky Cauldron, gateway to Diagon Alley your one stop magic shopping lane"

She nodded before looking at her comrades. Kevin was in a chair, eyes closed and head back, Ben was in a chair with his head between legs, and Julie was actually lying on her back on the floor with her eyes closed and her arms outstretched as if she were making a snow angel.

An older man, thin and tall and gray-haired with a handlebar mustache, came with a tray of tea.

"This's Tom," Harry introduced helpfully, "he's the innkeeper; drink the tea, it really does help."

Kevin and Ben were able to do so but Julie, still very thrown off by their means of transportation, had to be held up and the cup lifted to her lips.

"You're the elite fighting force that's 'posed to keep me safe?" Harry asked incredulously.

"I'm human and that was very spin-y-ish," Julie rebuked, falling into a less than elegant speech pattern than per usual, as soon she finally could manage on her own, "I'm used to smooth interplanetary travel not a whirlpool of green fire okay?"

"Alright…" he looked unconvinced before changing the subject, "Ready to shop?"

"Yes, but we need somewhere to get our money converted—"

"Gringotts bank's right 'round the corner and the goblins don't bite, just snap. You can get your Yank dollars converted to pounds and then to galleons, sickles, and knuts."

"What?"  
"Wizard money." Harry fished some strange coins from his jacket pocket. There were four, two were small and bronze, a third was medium and silver and the fourth was golden and very large, "This is what wizards and witches use; they've no concept of paper money. The big golden one is called a Galleon, seventeen silver Sickles equal one Galleon and twenty nine of the small bronze Knuts equal one Sickle. Got it?"

"Yeah." Kevin nodded quickly, having always been quick to pick up financial knowledge.

The other three nodded as well.

"Good," he nodded, "then let's go, I've been cooped up in this place for days."

The boys stood up and then Julie, who wobbled just a bit, and they followed Harry out into Diagon Alley.

"Holy Hera." Gwen swore before a delighted smile spread over her face, "I think I'm in love! No more running around the world—!" she continued to blabber and jump around almost spastically.

"Is she okay?" Harry asked Ben quietly.

"Yeah, just happy she knows where to shop now." Was the reply

Two hours later they were enjoying ice cream.

"So…" Harry began cautiously, "Dumbledore says you're powerful enough to defeat Voldemort…how powerful are you?"

"We're aliens, partly anyways," Ben answered calmly.

"No, seriously…"

"Seriously." Ben looped through his, normal, available aliens, Kevin absorbed the table they were sitting at, and Gwen went pink eyed and lifted Harry from his seat and manipulated him for a few minutes before setting him down gently.

"And you?" he asked, wide eyed, of Julie. She smiled, "I'm human and I can do magic, other than that. Ship. TS-5." A bracelet she had been wearing covered her form, beeping and blipping happily, and she was soon encased in Ironman armour. 'Ship' just as quickly receded back to her bracelet.

"And we do magic." They all chorused, before Ben, Kevin, and Julie stated, "Gwen taught us."

"It's easy for me, I get to cheat," she said modestly, "I'm made of magic you see; I'm made of the universal energies themselves. I get a kick-start but I still have a lot of studying to do…All those extra books I bought were because of that. I don't need a wand but it does make it easier." She procured her wand with a flourish, twirling it with her fingers like a baton, and pointing it at her empty glass of water instantly making it refill.

"The laws that your government has against underage magic; we've been given a pass for them." she explained calmly, pocketing her tool.

"You didn't say anything though!" Harry sputtered.

She grinned, "A sufficiently trained witch or wizard can do magic silently. They'll no doubt teach you how at Hogwarts as you learn. But again, I've learnt on my own."

"Harry!" a female voice screamed and Harry was assaulted by a mass of messy brunette hair. The force of her hug knocked him and his chair back. And then the two were separated, the girl being encased in a pink bubble as Ben ordered, "Identify yourself!"

"Hermione Granger," The girl knelt, prodding at her prison inquisitively.

"Harry…?"

"She's my best friend guys and it's definitely her, let her down."

Gwen did as bid and Hermione smiled, holding out her hand in greeting, "You four must be his bodyguards."

They all shook hands and Harry pulled up another chair for his good friend.

The four Americans surveyed the two. They sat together closely, talking animatedly and began to finish each other's sentences.

Soon a grouping of redheads appeared. And so the four Americans were introduced to, and consequently adopted by, the Weasleys.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: That Damned Train**

"ALL ABOARD! ALL ABOARD!" the conductor bellowed at five to eleven AM.

"WILL YOU QUIT SCREAMING!" Kevin answered, "The Platform's empty asshole!"

"Kevin! Get back in here!" He was pulled from the window, with Gwen whispering furiously, "You'll wake the Professor!"

In the corner of the small compartment slept a haggard man in a tweed business suit, holding a briefcase. Logic told the three Hogwarts students that he was to be their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and they had quickly explained to their new comrades why and how they had deduced that.

"Who cares?" Kevin snorted, "you heard the three of 'em, he's a goner."

She grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, hissing, "Listen to me, and listen clearly. Through sheer powers of persuasion I have managed to get Professor Dumbledore to create and allocate us, just me and you, an apartment in Gryffindor house…this will be our private quarters for the year. Private as in only we will have use of it." Kevin got a glint in his eyes as he caught her meaning and she tightened her hold on his shirt, continuing, "If you misbehave or disrespect a Professor or another student, in any way, shape and or form, you will not see any of my skin for the year…"

Hermione, Harry, and Julie flushed, understanding her threat. Ben looked like he was going to be sick; Ron was oblivious.

"You are seventeen," she continued, "if you are unable to act like an adult you will not be allowed to enjoy adult activities. Understand me?"

"Yes." He gulped and she let him go, shoving him away from her. She then conjured a small manna desk, a pen, and a leather bound book. She pulled out one of the numerous books she had bought and began to scribble into the leather bound book.

"What're you doing?" Harry asked with interest.

"Making my own spell-book," she explained easily, "A book of spells and potions I'll use almost daily."

"That's not a bad idea," mused Hermione and a large leather bound book appeared out of nowhere and fell into her lap.

"Happy Birthday Hermione," Gwen announced, "your very own Book of Shadows. Now please, be quiet, all of you."

She waved her hand and the door to the compartment slammed shut and glowed briefly.

"There," she said simply, "nothing short of a nuke can get through that."

"What's a nuke?" Ron asked confusedly.

"It's a terrible muggle invention that can kill millions of people at once," Hermione explained quickly and in such terms that a wizard could understand, "it's very powerful."

"Oh," and he went back to his trading cards.

Ben and Julie settled down for a nap, Hermione pulled out a pen and a wooden lap-desk and began transcribing into her own spell-book, Harry pulled out a book on Quidditch ("It's a wizard sport played on flying brooms, you'll watch it at Hogwarts"), and Ron was happily occupied by his card collection. Kevin, on the other hand, stayed keenly alert.

And everything was calm and content for…five hours.

Then the train suddenly lurched to a halt; throwing Ben, Julie, and Ron onto the floor, "What the hell!"

The windows fogged up, the air dropping several degrees to where breaths were clearly visible and the lights flickered ominously before going out completely. Up and down the train there were shrieks; a sphere of manna lit up the compartment with a soft pink glow; Kevin was already at the door, a gun drawn, and hissed, "Gwen, Ben stay with Potter. Julie, Ship, we're searching the train. I'll take the cargo areas; you find the conductor and get this pile of crap moving again."

They departed and Gwen sealed the openings to their section once again. "Wands out guys," Ben ordered their charges, turning into Echo-Echo and moving to be in front of the door. And then the fog began to seep in. Through the air tight barriers, indicating it was not Mother Nature coming to visit.

They heard shouts and howls of rage but, even though the sound was recognizable as Kevin, they held their ground as the scent of decay approached. Harry hit the ground, kneeling and shaking as Hermione knelt next to him, "Harry, Harry? Harry!" he didn't respond as he began to spasm.

A skeletal figure appeared at the door, in tattered robes, clawing at the glass panels.

Ben let out his sonic wail but it was ineffective. He divided into sixteen clones and an original and tried again with much the same affect. Things began to blur and come back as he began to hallucinate. Every failure came back to taunt him. Knowing this and the amount of damage he'd do he reverted to human, his fighting will leaving him, and he went to the side. Gwen too was weakening. Despair crashed over her in waves. Everything negative that had ever happened to her in her life was being replayed on loop, getting worse with each round. She hoped Kevin wasn't being affected in the same way.

"Hermione," she puffed, gathering the only secure positive emotion in her into a physical ball of manna the size of a standard classroom globe between her hands, "Wake up the _**Professor**_." On the last word she slammed her creation into the floor, activating what Ben would later nickname 'the love bomb'. Three concussive waves of Pure Love spread throughout the train, repelling the creature and any of it's cohorts. She continued to implement smaller such 'bombs', each getting progressively weaker and weaker than the ones before it, until she felt the man stand up, heard him mutter something and felt a blast of pure energy rush past her.

The air warmed and the despair left as a tired male voice spoke softly, "Relax, they're gone. You've completed your duty."

The lights came back on and the train began moving.

She was up on her feet, wobbling slightly with a head rush, slamming the door open, forcing herself down the train at a run and into the animal carriage. She found Kevin, curled into the fetal position on the floor. He had obviously been spasming just as badly as Harry if not worse.

When he didn't respond to her voice she summoned her powers again and connected them psychically only to find his mind in chaos. Every bad experience he had had been allowed to surface. She fought through them, banishing them back to the darkest recesses of his memory, to find him in the center of it all. It took a while but she managed to coax him into coming out of himself. She hauled him to his feet, slung his arm over her shoulders, wrapped an arm about his waist, and trudged them back to the compartment. Once there she settled him onto the seat and then flopped into her own.

"Here, eat this," the Professor spoke, handing each a candy bar, "it helps after a Dementor attack."

Gwen and Kevin did as told, noticing that Julie had beaten them back.

"Professor Lupin," Hermione spoke softly, "What's a Dementor?"

"A Dementor, Hermione, is a creature that makes its prey relive the most horrid events of their lives. This can and will, after long enough exposure drive any sane person to madness and ultimately suicide."

"And they're allowed to wander freely?" she gasped in terror.

"Oh no," Lupin shook his head, "such an occurrence of what just happened is very rare. They usually congregate at prisons and mental hospitals and muggle schools. In fact, the Ministry employs them at the wizard prison Azkaban as guards. This ability they have destroys the will to live and, in magical persons, magical ability. Muggles, fortunately and unfortunately, cannot see them and so often subdue those persons under their effects with medications or, in extreme cases, lock them into mental institutions as crazies."

"Oh, that's terrible," Ron observed thickly.

"Yes." Lupin nodded gravely, "yes, yes it is…" he looked at his watch, "you children better get ready, we'll arrive at Hogwarts soon…" he made to leave the compartment, "I need to speak with the conductor…"


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four: First Day of School **

"Hello Hermione," Julie greeted as the bushy haired girl came walking down from the girls' dormitories.

Hermione was obviously shocked, "Why are you up so early?"

"Tea," Julie lifted her mug, "special herbal blend that allows me to keep up with my friends. Gives me the abilities of the speed of a cheetah, strength of a healthy ox, and regenerative abilities as well. As long as my brain and heart are still intact I can heal any wound I suffer. And it boosts my cognitive functions two hundred fifty percent above my normal levels, heightens my senses to that of a Bloodhound's sense of smell, an eagle's eye sight, night sight of a tiger, I can identify things by touch and taste, including all compounds contained in anything I put into my mouth. I have a dog's sense of hearing too. Want some? I made a whole pot."

"No thank you," Hermione moved to the window to greet the bird that was incessantly tapping on the window, deposited a coin into a pouch on its leg and retrieved the newspaper it brought. She then returned to the fireside, took a seat in an armchair, and opened the paper.

"You worried about this Sirius Black bloke?" Hermione asked calmly.

Julie laughed, "Nah, we're used to dealing with much worse…they've foughten and stopped an intergalactic war before so this's no biggie." She drained her cup and proceeded to stare into the fire. Her eyes glazed over and various expressions appeared and disappeared from her face.

Harry soon came down from his dormitory, ready for the day.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked.

Hermione shrugged, "I think she's remembering some nasty experiences; either that or her herbal tea is rerouting everything to allow her superhuman abilities. You wake up Ron?"

"Nope. It's useless to try anyways."

He scooted her over, the armchair was very large and would allow two adults to sit side by side, sat down, and began reading over her shoulder.

"You worried about Black?" Hermione asked her friend.

"Why should I be? One measly Death-Eater won't do me in, even Voldemort can't kill me."

"You're brassy Harry," she laughed, "and you need to get your own subscription."

"Nope."

"What are you two doing?" Gwen asked as she descended from a third dormitory, she too was completely ready for the day.

"Reading the paper."

"Oh…Julie, snap out of it." She lightly bopped the Asian girl on the back of the head. Julie snapped to alertness. A physical change was evident; her muscles became visibly tauter, stronger. Her ears tapered slightly as her face angled out a bit more. Her fingers became longer and slimmer.

"How do you feel?"

"Fine. Nothing different than ever before."

"Okay. Ben awake?"

"No." Harry replied, "I don't know who was worse with snoring, Ben or Ron."

Julie hid her chuckle in her hand, asking instead, "Kevin up?"

"Yeah, he's showering."

"How's he doing?"

The redhead shrugged, "His mind, when I went into it…it was a warzone. He just doesn't want to talk about it though…" her mouth went into a 'O' shape and she spun on Harry, demanding, "When that Dementor attacked what did you remember; you began spasming and became unresponsive…"

"Oh…that…" his eyes darkened, "I heard…I heard a woman screaming…"

"What was she saying Harry?"

"I—I don't know. It was soft, muted, like she was in another room and I was hearing her through a thick wall… I-I don't want to talk about it…"

"Alright Harry."

Distantly the clock-tower tolled; it was time for breakfast.

Forty-five minutes later the group of seven found themselves trekking along to Care of Magical Creatures class.

"Right, stay away from the Forest you four," Harry advised, "Bunch of nasty things in there that love to eat humans."

"So…many…spiders…" Ron was heard to whimper, "Bloody huge ones too. What bright spark would breed those devils?"

"Apparently Hagrid, Ron," Harry rebuked evenly.

"How big?" Gwen gulped, eyeing the forest warily and unconsciously putting Kevin between her and the tree line.

"From normal size to the size of houses," Hermione informed them, "there's thousands in there."

"How do you know Mione?" Ron asked incredulously, "you were a statue when that happened!"

"I do my homework. They're called Acromantula. They're a wizard made species; they didn't just appear out of thin air."

"So Hagrid bred them himself did he? Always knew he was—"

"No he didn't breed them himself, they were created centuries ago! He probably just got an egg or two and…_**boom**_! Spiders everywhere!"

They arrived at the class to find forty kids waiting. There was a clear line between the two houses, Gryffindor and Slytherin, included.

"Hope Hagrid's alright," Harry muttered, setting down his stuff.

"He's probably just running late, that's all." Hermione soothed, following his lead.

"Maybe the great oaf can't figure out the door." A nasally voice snarked.

"Ignore him Harry," Hermione counseled, "He just wants to get you humpy—"

"He wants to get Harry horny?" Ben sputtered, wide eyed.

"Heavens no, here 'humpy' means to get angry not…something like that." Harry and Hermione flushed, Julie and Gwen palm-faced, Kevin snickered and Ron was off…doing something. He had a short attention span, that one.

"Stupid Mudbloods." that nasally voice spoke again and Hermione grew pissed, turning to face a blond, grey eyed, Slytherin boy.

"Shut it Malfoy!"

"How dare you speak to me you Mudblood bint."

Harry went for his wand but found his hands tied by the stuff Gwen called 'manna'.

"Harry don't," Julie warned as she held back both Hermione and Ben. The Americans didn't quite understand what was said but it must have been an insult. And so Ben had reacted accordingly, getting ready to defend an innocent girl's honor or some such chauvinistic nonsense like that.

"Kevin you move a muscle you're on the couch," Gwen threatened as her boyfriend made to strangle the little jerk. He went as still as stone.

Thankfully Hagrid appeared in the next couple of minutes

"Who was he?" Julie demanded as they hiked back to the castle.

"He is Draco Malfoy," Hermione spat with disgust, "a pureblooded bigot who's family are big supporters of You-Know-Who—"

"Voldemort," Harry clarified, "most people are afraid of saying his name, even after twelve years…"

"—who think that if you have even just a drop of Muggle blood in your veins you're no better than the dirt they walk on. He's also very spoiled, his family is very rich but he's pretty much harmless."

"That's for us to judge," Kevin grunted, pulling a small device from his pocket. He pressed a button and it turned to green. He typed in something and the device took flight, melting from view, heading after Malfoy.

"It's a surveillance bug," Gwen explained to Harry and Hermione, "alien tech. It transmits directly to Ship who will store it as computer data…"

"Cool."

"So, what's next?" Ben asked.

"Break. We only have three classes a day. One after breakfast, one after break, and one after lunch. They're two hours each. Breakfast, break, and lunch are forty five minutes long." Hermione informed them helpfully.

"Ah, blocks," Ben, Gwen, and Julie nodded.

"We need to go to the library and start our essays on Fwoopers."

"C'mon Mione," Harry groaned, "it's the first day of class and it's Hagrid—"

"Harry James Potter—" her voice became deadly soft.

"Alright, alright, alright. We'll start our homework now."

Kevin snickered and Gwen and Julie gave knowing looks while Ben made whip sounds and gestures. And again, Ron was oblivious; though this time he merely complained that Hermione was nagging them again. They trooped up to the library, second floor, and settled in at a big enough table. Then Gwen made an 'O' face, leaned over to Julie and whispered something in her ear. Julie smiled and nodded and whispered something to Ship, who was still disguised as a bracelet. Ship then de-morphed, slithered to Kevin's spot and morphed into a laptop, powering up and opening a word processing program. He smiled, leaning over to kiss Gwen, and making a hand gesture of some sort that obviously was one thanking Julie. Julie made another hand sign in response.

And so passed break without incident.

It was after break that the horror began in earnest.

The dungeons were clammy and cold, moist and dark; the perfect breeding ground for general fear, claustrophobia, diseases, and fungi. "This's so not gonna be a fun class is it?" Kevin asked nobody in particular though their three charges nodded all the same. You knew something was going to be bad when the place it was held in reminded one of sewers, only without the ankle deep sewage. Or smell of crap.

"Twenty points from Gryffindor for inappropriate behavior," the teacher drawled as the group of seven entered the room. The American girls were pressed to their boyfriends for warmth, unaccustomed to the chilly drafty dungeons. The new students looked about ready to protest but the three others motioned for them not to frantically and herded them to the back tables of the room.

"Today, at the discretion of our esteemed Headmaster," his words dripped sarcasm, "we are going to brew Cheering Elixirs. These are comparable to what muggles call anti-depressants. These are effective against Dementors and Lethifolds as well as the mental disorder known as Depression and work in much the same way as Cheering Charms. As with Cheering Charms Cheering Elixirs can and do become addictive after repetitive use. Improper use of either is a crime punishable by jail time and/or time spent in St. Mungo's as you quote unquote detox and get over your dependence on said Elixirs." He waved his wand and instructions appeared on the board, "you have the rest of this period, failure will be punished by detention. Begin."

"Such a cheery teacher…" Julie muttered, beginning to take down notes.

"Maybe we should shove the potion down his throat…" Ben replied just as lowly.

"It'll take more than one or two…"

"Problem?" a voice asked.

Ben and Julie froze, looking up to find Snape looking down at them.

"Umm…?" They were so dead. The class froze as well, waiting for the punishment.

"No problem Sir," Gwen came to the rescue, "Julie was just reminding Ben that the UK uses the English system and that we need to convert what we'd usually use into that…"

"Was I speaking to you Miss…" he looked to the interrupter, jaw going slack once he saw her. It couldn't be…

"Tennyson," Gwen finished helpfully. He shook himself back into action but gave her an odd look.

"Very well, Miss Tennyson, but please remind them that there are other students working and that they must remain courteous to them…"

"Yes Sir."

"Continue working."

"Yes Sir."

The class went back to work, muttering and shooting the new kids questioning looks.

After lunch, during which Kevin and Ben were given their medications, was Herbology class. It went smoothly enough, except for the fact that a plant stung Julie and somehow it triggered an anaphylactic episode. This earned her an epi-pen jammed into her left bicep. She was only allergic to bee stings and so they were still trying to figure out _**how**_ it was triggered.

And so the first day passed, the Plumbers dragged themselves up to Gryffindor house as soon as they were allowed to and collapsed into bed. This wasn't going to be the cake walk they had assumed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five: Opinions **

"It's a load of crock!" Hermione declared.

"Just because you can't do it doesn't mean it isn't real," Gwen replied easily.

"A waste of time! Why learn it? The future is never absolute."

"True, but you could still be forewarned about things that could happen and isn't that good enough? Here," she pulled an Oracle deck from her pocket, "My grandmother crafted this deck for me herself, only I can give readings of it. Wanna have a go at it?"

The boys were out on the grounds with Julie in tow to keep things safe and reasonable. Lord help her, she'd need it.

"I don't know…"

"C'mon, it's a load of crock anyways," she echoed with a sly smile, "It doesn't really matter what it says right? Just a load of hoopla…"

"Alright…"

"Good," Gwen gave her the cards, "Now shuffle and shuffle good…"

"These aren't tarot cards," Hermione realized as she shuffled.

"No, they're Oracle cards. Supposedly tarot cards get their information from the dark side of the universe, Oracle cards are their 'good' counterparts. I prefer Oracle to tarot but then again this is my first deck, my grandmother made it, and it's totally attuned to me and vice versa."

"Your grandmother's a witch?"

"Yes and no, she's a pureblooded Anodite; Anodites can manipulate the natural energies if the universe, the energies of 'magic'. So yes we're witches but not the kind you're used to…"

"Don't you mean _**witches and wizards**_?"

"Nope. Anodites are always female, we breed with other races. If the resulting child is female she's an Anodite, if the kid is male he is of the father's race. My human body, the one I was born into, is just a shell for my Anodite form. This body I wear like a costume and body armour. It keeps me from dissipating into a cloud of sentient energy mist. I'm not strong enough, powerful enough to keep my true form together for more than a few minutes at a time. Besides, I'm used to, I like having skin and hair and all the usual human stuff…you can stop shuffling now, take the top three and lay them out side by side face down."

Hermione did as told.

"Now this's a very broad reading setup, let's see here…" she turned over the left card, "Your past was normal and idyllic, you had no idea what was coming for you. Correct?"

Hermione nodded, sniffing, "Lucky pick."

Gwen smirked, "Right." She turned over the center card, "In your present you're confused as hell in many aspects of your life but you're hiding it and hiding it well. Some of it can be resolved if you take that first step…now, the last one, the future one…" she turned over the last one, "It's going to be a rocky road but you're going to get your happy ending—"

"Gwen," he badge lit up, "Gwen, come in Gwen."

She responded, "What happened Julie?"

"The boys are in the hospital wing. There was an accident on the pitch; the flying cannonballs went homicidal—"

"How bad?" The two girls took off towards the hospital wing.

"Well from minor to major; Ron's face is bruised, Harry got a crack in the skull, Ben's arms and ribcage are broken and he hit the ground pretty hard and Kevin has a broken back and a cracked skull…"

"Madam Pomfrey can heal anything," Hermione soothed the now frantic redhead as they broke into a real run.

"It's not Kev I'm worried about," Gwen admitted, "I can heal him easily. It's Ben. He was probably Jet-ray when he got hit. If he changes back to human before he can be healed he could inflict more damage upon himself…the Watch has a time-limit…once that's up he goes human."

"How much time?"

"Ten minutes."

They increased their speed, now sliding and skidding around corners and pushing past students in their way. When she felt she wasn't moving fast enough Gwen slipped from her shoes, hopping as she did so, and increased her speed, tapping into her alien heritage and leaving Hermione in her dust.

When the brainy brunette arrived, huffing and puffing and holding a stitch in her side, at the hospital wing she found Gwen running glowing hands over a large bat-like creature that lay over two human sized cots.

"What the heck happened?" Hermione demanded of Harry. He was at least sitting upright, though his head was bandaged. Ron too was upright in bed, holding an ice-pack to both sides of his face.

"Dunno, the bludgers went mad," he spoke loudly, "hit Ben, took out Kevin, went for Ron and then attacked me. They were still attacking us even as Julie got us out of there."

"Madam Pomfrey," Hermione caught the healer by the arm as she bustled past with a tray of potions, "is his hearing damaged?"

"Only temporarily Miss Granger." Pomfrey assured hurriedly, "he'll be fine in a few hours at most…"

"Why is everybody whispering?"

There was one loud crack and a flash of green light before Ben lay on his cot, completely healed.

Gwen moved to Kevin, lying unconscious on a separate cot and bound invisibly so he couldn't damage his spinal cord any more, saying, "I'm going to need your help Julie…" Julie scurried over, bruising highly visible on her arms and neck, and they each dug their fingers under him, "One, two, three, lift and roll," they rolled him to his side and Julie held him there as Gwen ran glowing hands up and down his spine and head. There was audible cracking and grinding but within minutes he was healed completely.

"You can set him down now Julie," Gwen fell back onto another cot, looking pale and starting to shake with the exertion of her powers, "Harry, Ron, Julie, I can heal you three but I need to recharge first."

"Not necessary Miss Tennyson," Pomfrey deemed, handing the three vials of a deep emerald colored potion, "drink those."

Harry and Ron did so without hesitation but Julie looked at it for a minute or two before pinching her nose, dumping it on the back of her tongue as to avoid her taste buds, and gulping it down harshly and then coughing as it burned it's way down.

"How can you stand that stuff?" she asked the three Hogwarts alumni.

"We've had to use it far too many times…"

It burned down her throat and fell heavily into her stomach, smoldering and simmering. Her skin stung and itched but she was able to watch the bruises on her arms shrink and disappear.

Madam Pomfrey brought out her wand, rapped Kevin on the forehead, and muttered a few words.

"How did you knock him out?" Gwen asked softly.

"A potion of dreamless sleep…"

"Dreamless sleep? Madam Pomfrey can I ask you a favor…?" the two had a hurried whispered conversation, which ended with Pomfrey nodding in agreement, as Kevin came to.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six: Laugh It Off**

She was woken by a nibbling sensation to find Kevin sampling her skin. She tried to laugh but he activated a particular spot and so she ended up gasping. He paused in what he was doing, flashing a smug smirk, "You're awake." before continuing his work. Fighting back a sigh she twisted her head to glance at the clock; five thirty AM, they had time…

Downstairs in the common room Ben waited for Julie to wake up. It was their second anniversary as a couple and he had completely blown off their first. It wasn't his fault; he was needed as a character witness for the defendant in a Plumber brutality case on that day and had thus completely forgotten. He needed to make that up to her and so he had been working on doing so for the past year. Being the Savior of the Universe came in handy at times. He had had a crossbreed created. The process required magic and some blood and took nearly six months and then the creature had to hatch and grow to full size. It had the body, appearance, of a falcon but the sight of an eagle, the scenting capabilities of a bloodhound, the strength to body ratio of an ant (meaning it could carry and/or lift something hundreds of pounds heavier than it), the speed of an XLR8, and the hearing of a wolf. And it ate only fish and small rodents. But, again, it looked like a normal falcon; it sat perched on his gloved forearm, a hood over its' head, calmly, it's curved razor sharp beak gleaming in the firelight.

She came walking down from the girls' dormitories, completely ready for the day and ready for her tea. The sharp whistle of her kettle shocked her into looking up and it was then she saw him and the bird.

"What the—?"

"Happy anniversary Jules."

She smiled, "You remembered…"

"Yes, I got you a present…"

"The bird?"

"Yeah, his name's Theron. He's a crossbreed of sorts…" and he told her what Theron was made of, "but very well trained, only understands Latin." He removed the hood, revealing that Theron had golden eyes, saying, "Evolo."

Theron spread his wings and took off, making laps about the room.

"Here take this." Ben stripped off the glove and handed it to her.  
Julie strapped it on, cinching it smaller to fit her before he instructed, "Tell him to return."

"Revenio." Obediently Theron landed on her arm, clutching the leather glove tightly.

"Good boy…" she absentmindedly stroked his plumage as she asked, "Am I allowed to keep him here? The letter said only cats, rats, owls, or toads…"

"I cleared it with Dumbledore," he smiled, "He can roost with the owls, he won't hurt them."

She smiled, moving to the window and opening it, sticking her arm and bird outside, "Venor et cubitus."

Theron let out a shrill shriek and took off. Julie stripped off the glove and turned to Ben, walking forward and leaning close to kiss him, "Thank you. Happy anniversary…"

"A…"

"Anniversary…"

"You say?" Two voices spoke and a redheaded twin appeared behind both Ben and Julie, sandwiching the teens between them.

"Oh great…"

"What?" Fred asked innocently. "We can't wish our newest little sister and brother a happy anniversary and many more to come?"

"Well Fred," George answered seriously, "when you phrase it like that they're committing incest."

"You know what I mean…I say we wish them a happy anniversary…"

"Right oh brother of mine! So…"

They backed up, lit some firecrackers, linked arms, began twirling around, and began singing, "Happy anniversary, happy anniversary, happy anniversary HAP-PEY ANNI-VER-SAR-_**RY**_!

This woke up everyone in Gryffindor and drew them all to the common room, although Kevin and Gwen stayed in bed.

The teens' faces burnt scarlet as their housemates began to celebrate their anniversary. Within minutes a party was planned for that night, Fred and George vowing to provide refreshments and everyone else vowing to keep mum about it. Percy would have a field day with it.

Two and a half hours later the group of seven hiked along the well worn path to Hagrid's hut, Julie still guzzling down her morning tea. The changes were set by the time they arrived at the class and Hagrid came walking out of the forest, leading the most bizarre creature. It had the fore-body of a giant eagle with the hindquarters of a dappled grey appaloosa horse.

"Today we're studying hippogriffs," the gamekeeper announced in his characteristic harsh accent, "and this here's Buckbeak," he patted the hippogriff, "he's going to help us. Now, who knows what a hippogriff is?"

Predictably Hermione's hand shot up, followed closely by Gwen's and Julie's.

Hagrid chuckled, "I'm thinking of a number between one and ten. Go."

"Four." Hermione replied.

"Two," Julie followed.

"Seven." Was Gwen's guess.

"Okay you two," he pointed out Hermione and Julie, "I'm thinking of another number between one and ten."

"Four." Hermione.

"Three." Julie.

"Julie, what's a hippogriff?"

"A hippogriff is the result of a gryphon and a horse mating. Head and forelegs of a bird but the hind end of a horse. They are from Greece originally but are now found everywhere in the world where there's magic. They are very proud creatures; one must bow and wait for it to return the greeting before approaching."

"Very good, five points to Gryffindor, does anyone want to approach him?"

Everyone, save Harry who was digging around in his bag for something, stepped backwards.

"Harry! That's a good fellow."

"Huh? Wha—?" he looked up and then back at the class behind him, mouthing, "_Cowards!_" before sighing and approaching the beast. He bowed slightly, keeping eye contact with the bird. Buckbeak glared but then bowed deeply as well. Harry stood up slowly, moving forward to stroke the feathers.

The Gryffindors broke into applause and Harry grinned, before being picked up, "Why don't you go for a ride?"

"Hey-Hey! Hagrid! No—Wait!"

The boy was put onto the creature, "Don't pull his feathers now, he won't like you for that," before Hagrid slapped Buckbeak's butt. He lunged into a gallop, as Harry held on for dear life with just his knees behind the wing joints, and his wings spread gaining lift. The legs stopped moving as they took off.

"I got him," Ben said calmly, going into Jet-ray and following.

"Don't spook him!" Julie called worriedly.

"No worries! I'm a _**pro!**_" he soared out of sight.

He caught up with them as they were gliding over the lake, "Having fun Harry?"

"Yeah." The boy grinned, "This's better than a broomstick!"

Ben twisted slightly to let a wingtip break the surface of the water.

"Is really flying, like that, fun?" Harry asked calmly.

"It's…" the brunette looked for the right word, "_**freeing**_ but also really difficult and tiring. Julie loves the muscles it gives me though…and the power…"

"Ew."

"Remember Harry, it's not how big your muscles are but how you use them."

"_**Ew**_."

"So do you have an eye on someone?"

"…No." they were closing in on the class now.

"Right…hold on…"  
Buckbeak hit the ground running, gradually slowing from a gallop to a walk. Harry dismounted as Ben touched down and turned back to human, the Watch going into recharge mode.

"Are you alright Harry?" Hermione called worriedly, unwilling to approach the hippogriff.

"'Course Mione," he patted the bird's flank. He joined his group just as Malfoy swaggered up to Buckbeak, crooning, "You can't be that dangerous if you let Potter ride you, can you? You great ugly brute!"

"_**ROWREEEEEEEEEEEEEE**_!"

"_**MALFOY**_!"

Buckbeak reared and attacked but a pink barrier blocked him from his victim as a similarly pink beam wrapped around the blonde's waist to yank him back, out of danger.

"You _**idiot**_!" Harry dashed forward, having already established himself as a friend not foe, skirting around the barrier to calm the creature alongside Hagrid. In minutes Buckbeak calmed, feathers ruffled with indignation and clawing at the ground but no longer chargingly hostile.

Class was dismissed and break was calm.

Then came Defense against the Dark Arts.

They entered the classroom to find the desks missing, a large trunk in the center of the room. Jaunty music was playing from a gramophone, it sounded like swing more than anything, and the windows were thrown open to let the bright sunlight in.

The trunk began shaking and moving with loud bangs and clangs as soon as the students entered the room and they eyed it, and its' lock, nervously.

"Can we take a sick day?" Ben whispered to Julie who in reply stomped on his foot, hissing, "Behave or you won't get your gift tonight." He promptly fell quiet.

When the professor failed to appear after a few minutes something weird happened. The music was perfect and they were bored so Julie gave Ben a nudge, making some sort of hand gesture. He nodded, smiling and then they began to dance a style straight from the fifties.

"What are they doing?" Harry asked.

Gwen smiled, "They're practicing; they were regional champions in the States."

"Do you dance too then?"

"We don't dance, boy," Kevin growled out, "we _**spar**_." And he made to punch Gwen but she, grinning, dropped her bag and back-flipped away. He approached her and they began trading blows with fluid ease, each blocking everything the other tried. Gwen ran up to Kevin, leaping, flipping, doing a handstand on his shoulders, and vaulting off, and attempting a roundhouse kick on him. Kevin spun around and blocked that. Their moves were fluid, fast paced, and looked more like a dance than sparring really should.

"Very good, very good." Professor Lupin appeared, clapping enthusiastically. Ben set Julie down, Gwen and Kevin relaxed and the class crowded around the trunk.

"Today we are studying Bogarts, does anyone kno—?"

Three hands shot up and so began another two rounds of 'guess the number between one and ten'.

"Hermione."

"A Bogart is a creature that takes on the form of what a person fears most; the only way to get rid of it is to laugh at it. The Riddikulus spell turns the bogart into something the user finds hilarious…"

"Great. Five points to Gryffindor. Anyone want to try it?"

Again the entire class stepped back, this time leaving Neville as the 'volunteer'.

"Ah, Neville, good show, now come up here," Neville stepped forward, quaking.

"Now, what are you most afraid of Neville?"

The boy mumbled something.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you."

"Professor Snape…"

Lupin smiled understandingly, "Alright Neville, Snape _**is**_ pretty scary and what would make him not scary?"

Neville thought for a minute, "My grandmother's clothes…she has a vulture hat and—"

"We don't need to hear about it, if you see the clothes we'll see them…now you have to do this," Lupin performed a movement with his wand, "and say 'Riddikulus', understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Show me that you understand."

Neville repeated the wand motion and said the incantation.

"And again."

Neville repeated the motion and the spell.

"Good. Are you ready?"

"…Yes sir…"

Lupin nodded and backed up, pointing his wand at the trunk and it burst open. Snape came forth, stepping out of the trunk, scowl upon his face and glared down at Neville as he approached.

"Rid—_**RIDDIKULUS**_!" Snape got thrown back a bit, his black robes mutating into an emerald green color, fur trimmed, and a dead vulture on a sunhat appearing on his head. He also had a fur purse. The class, Neville included, howled with laughter.

"Very good, very good Neville! Five points to Gryffindor! Line up everyone, single file."

They did as told, Ron being pushed to the front.

"Next up!" Lupin turned up the music, actually beginning to dance a little to the sound.

The class passed without incident, as only half the class got to try.

During lunch Gwen and Kevin disappeared, leaving Ben and Julie in charge of their charges.

"Where're they going?" Harry asked.

Ben smiled, "Kevin's going to pop the question, out by the lake. Gwen loves the lake you know."

Harry, Hermione and Julie made sounds of joy and celebration, Ron was eating, but then Hermione frowned, "She'll say yes right?"

Harry paled. They had seen Kevin get into a temper…things would go very bad if he was rejected.

"Oh yeah of course," Julie assured firmly before turning to Ben, "Did he show you the ring?"

"No ring," Ben replied, "a necklace, said a ring would get in the way of her powers…"

"What's it made of?"

"White gold, inlaid with Blue Lace and Brown Agates, Amber, Amethyst, Beryl, Pink and Orange Calcites, some stone called 'Carnelian', another one called 'Chrysocolla', Rose and Blue Quartz, Emerald to ' match her eyes', Jade for the same reason, Lapis Lazuli, some stone called 'Lepidolite', one called 'Malachite', Moonstone, Obsidian, something called 'Olivine', Pearl, something called 'Rhodocrosite', Ruby, Sapphire, Sunstone and Yellow Zircon…"

"Oh dear," Julie chuckled, "he's gone overboard hasn't he?"

"Cost him a pretty penny," Ben nodded.

"No, well yes, but you don't understand do you? All those stones are said to foster, increase, and reinvigorate love…"

"How much does it weigh?" Harry asked, "And how ugly is it?"

"HARRY!" Hermione cried out, whacking him upside the head.

"_**WHAT?**_"

"It's actually quite pretty and only weighs about a pound."

The two returned soon after that, Gwen now sporting a necklace that wouldn't look out of place in the British Museum in Cairo Egypt's Egyptian Royal Jewelry exhibit.

Transfiguration class was after lunch and that night the Anniversary bash also celebrated an engagement.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven: Nothing Good Ever Happens on the Quidditch Field**

"I don't like this," Julie muttered as they stood in the stands of the Quidditch pitch. They were shivering and shaking, it was sleeting like there was no tomorrow and everyone was drenched to the bone. Including our heroes and heroines even though they had a manna shield overhead to ward off the worst of it. In spite of the gale force winds and the sleet the game must go on and so it was Gryffindor versus Hufflepuff.

"This is madness." Gwen agreed, and then seeing Ben about to speak, "if you say _**that**_ line I'm punching you and then you can sit in the rain with everyone else." He promptly halted in speaking.

"Quidditch goes on until the Snitch is caught, weather be damned." Ron spoke sagely, for once.

"Look at them!" Julie gestured to the players, "They can't even see where they're going, let alone get there!"  
It was true; each player was but the toy of the wind, being tossed and turned to it's whims.

"Doesn't matter. The game is played."

Ben and Kevin each were stonily silent, facing opposite directions; just as the girls did they too sensed that something was up. They just didn't know just how bad and that's what worried them.

The first sign was Kevin going to his knees, saying, "They're coming."

The temperature, already so low, dropped below zero to where the sleet turned to actual hail and snow.

"Crap!" the Dementors swarmed, flitting above the stadium.

"Ben, get Harry!" Gwen took control, grabbing Kevin and hauling him to his feet, "Julie get Kevin and the kids into the castle."

"Right." Julie grabbed her barely coherent friend, putting one of his arms over her shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist, "Ron, Hermione, get moving, now."

They nodded, with Ron actually taking a place at Kevin's free side and helping.

"Gwen!" Ben called over the now howling winds, "I can't get up there! The winds will break my wings!"

She was about to respond when several girls screamed and they turned back to the pitch to see Harry plummeting to the ground, limply and clearly unconsciously.

"_**GOOP!**_" the roar was lost on the wind but Goop-Ben vaulted to the pitch and went into Ultimate form, increasing his volume. He formed a cube of green jell-o and caught Harry, letting the boy sink into the soft and moldable goop. With Harry secure inside him Goop-Ben formed into a large ball, hardened the exterior of the ball into a stone-like substance, and sped off to the castle.

With their charges safe Gwen turned her attention to the Dementors. The teachers were herding the students back to the castle, firing off bright white things at the creatures but she was pissed. Pink-eyed she gathered her power and every positive feeling in her body and began to fire off tennis ball sized spheres of manna powered by love. Only two made contact with their targets but it was enough. The two hit let out terrible shrieks and dissolved into nothingness; their comrades saw this and fled. Panting, replacing a couple locks of hair that had fallen from their place, she stormed off to find the Headmaster. Oh was he going to get a piece of her mind…

She stormed into the hospital wing an hour later and she found Harry still unconscious, with everyone gathered around his bed.

"Let me through, let me through," she pushed her way through the crowd, summoning her powers once again and running her hands over the boy's head.

It wasn't a physical injury that was keeping him out cold, something mental was at fault.

Within minutes he came to, groaning and moaning. She backed up as Hermione flung forward, hugging Harry, and conjured a clothes press. She took off her robes and fed them through the press, cranking the machine manually, wringing out the water. She was soaked and cold but she could dry her clothes with her powers but the robes were too loose to do the same. With just a thought she began radiating enough heat to instantly dry her clothes and she finished wringing her robes, vanishing the press with a wave of her hand. She then approached Harry's bedside again.

"We need to talk."

He sighed but nodded, "I heard the woman again; it was clearer, louder this time. She was screaming my name. Over and over again. It sounded like she was being tortured or something."

"Did you see anything?"

"Yes…no…maybe…"

"'Maybe'?"

"I saw a lot of green light okay. That's all…" he was getting agitated so she let the conversation end.

He looked around, "Where's my broom?"

Everyone went silent as Ron came up and deposited a bundle at the foot of his friend's bed, uncovering it and saying sadly, "Nobody thought to get it so the wind had it…it met the Willow Harry…this was all we could find…" there lay three twigs, a foot rest, and the broom handle section that sported the number '2000'.

"We can't fix it Harry," Hermione continued apologetically, "even the teachers, because we couldn't find enough of it to fix…"

Harry turned to Gwen, "Can you fix it? Your magic's different than ours…"

She shook her head, responding softly, "I can't. There isn't enough of it left. I'm sorry."

Then Kevin leaned over and whispered into her ear; a smile spread over her face as she nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter Eight: Hogsmeade Trip **

"Harry!" a shrill shout sounded up the stairs but he ignored it, curling deeper into bed and cursing his muggle magic-hating aunt, uncle, and cousin. Most of the school would be out in Hogsmeade, the nearby all wizard village, but because his guardians didn't sign the needed permission slip he couldn't leave campus.

"Harry!" Julie came into the dorm, throwing open the curtains around his bed, "What're you still doing in bed, are you feeling alright?" gently she felt his cheeks and forehead for a fever. When he was fine on that front she frowned, "Is your scar bothering you or your stomach hurting?"

"No…"

"Then why are you in bed?"

"Go away, have fun in Hogsmeade…"

"Aren't you coming?"

He turned over and glared at her, "No, I'm not. Uncle Vernon didn't sign the paper."

She giggled, "Nobody told you yet?"

When she saw his expression the giggles stopped and she sat down, saying softly, "Kevin and Gwen have taken over guardianship of you, permanently. Or at least until Voldemort is dead and then the Weasleys have agreed to adopt you if you're still underage when he does kick the bucket. You're coming home with us, to America, for the breaks and summer. The Dursleys have no say in your life anymore. Kevin and Gwen have signed your permission slip for Hogsmeade…" she stood up, "now get dressed; the carriages are going to leave soon. Oh and the three of them swear up and down that the carriages are not moving by themselves but are really being pulled by big black skeletal winged horses but nobody else can see them…just smile and nod okay? They're allowed a couple mental breakdowns a year. We're waiting down in the common room so hurry up."

She laughed, as he jumped from his bed and began to get dressed, leaving the dorm and descending into the common room.

"Nobody told him, anything." She told their waiting companions.

Gwen turned to Ben, "You said you'd tell him!"

"I forgot okay?" he sputtered back, "that stupid kappa thing nearly drowned me, remember?"

"Don't fight guys," Julie stepped between them, "or I'll call Grandpa Max."

They fell quiet just as Harry came jogging down from the boys' dormitories, fastening his cloak as he moved.

"C'mon guys! Whatcha waiting for, an invite? Let's go let's go let's go!"

He grabbed Hermione and Ron, Hermione by the hand and Ron by the collar, and began dragging them towards the portrait hole.

"Calm down Harry!" Hermione ordered, barely able to move fast enough as he, almost literally, stuffed her through the portal hole.

"The carriages are leaving soon, come on, come on come on." He stuffed Ron through and then jumped through himself, feet first and by gripping the rim.

His four bodyguards laughed at his excitement, following after him.

They hurried down to the driveway/ carriage loop, grabbing one of the last carriages.

The wind whistled as the group strolled down the crowded street, talking and glancing at the shops around them.

"I want to go to Honeydukes," Ron declared finally, pointing out a rather large and busy looking shop.

"Honeydukes?" the Americans raised eyebrows.

"It's a candy shop," Hermione explained with a roll of her eyes, "I want to go to Rawlings."

"You have enough books Mione. Live a little."

"I do not want my teeth to rot out of my head, Ronald, thank you very much. I'd much rather spend my money on a long term investment."

"What do you what to do Harry?" Ben asked.

The boy shrugged, "Honeydukes's too packed for my tastes and Rawlings…I'm not that into books, sorry Mione…do they have a pet shop, I should get Hedwig some treats…"

"Right next to Rawlings." Hermione informed them.

"Alright, let's do this," Julie spoke up, "I'll take Ron to the candy shop, you three take Harry and Hermione to their shops."

"You sure you can handle him on your own?" Ben asked worriedly, eyeing Ron.

"I keep up with you don't I?" she smiled, "Don't worry so much, I've got my wand and Ship, we'll be fine…"

"Alright." He pulled his wand from his pocket and made a large glowing X where they stood, "We meet up in an hour and a half, here, fair?"

"Fair." They all agreed before Ben pinned Ron with a stern glare, "You better behave for her, understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Ron grabbed his chaperone's arm and dragged her off.

"Ladies first," Harry spoke quietly, "let's go to the book store." Hermione smiled and the five took off.

The shop was dusty and musty smelling but Hermione was in her element. She danced about the shelves, running her fingers along the spines and bindings. She immediately honed in on the Charm and Defense books sections. Harry was drawn to the Quidditch books although he too looked through the Defense books.  
As soon as they crossed the threshold Kevin had pecked Gwen on the cheek, whispered something in her ear, turned and left.

"Where's he going?" Ben asked.

She smiled and leaned over, whispering what was going on and then her cousin began to smile, saying lowly, "And he came up with it?"

"Yep. All by himself, no poking or prodding needed."

"You've un-corrupted him."

"Maybe, but he's corrupted me just as much…"

"_**Ew**_."

"What do you mean '_**Ew'**_?" she shoved him playfully, "From the way I've heard things you and Julie have done quite a bit of…shall we call it _**corrupting**_ yourselves."

He went bright pink, coughing, "How would you know about that?"

"I talk with the Head Boy and Girl and the Prefects, here's a hint; find a deeper alcove and it shouldn't be on the third floor…"

He pulled at his collar uncomfortably, redder than the Gryffindor banners.

"Well, well, well," a voice said loudly, causing Ben to jump but Gwen had sensed them long beforehand, "Looks like Little Bro needs the Room."

Fred and George appeared, each clapping a hand onto Ben's shoulder.

"The Room?" the brunette's eyebrow went up in interest.

"Oh yes," George nodded gravely, "The Room is a magical place within Hogwarts that appears, equipped with whatever you need for a given situation…" he lowered his voice, glancing to the owner of the bookshop warily, "It's on the seventh floor, across from the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy trying to train trolls to dance and getting clubbed as a reward."

"But there's no door there, no painting, no niche, nothing. Just an empty wall." Ben protested."

"Ah, my impatient little Yank," Fred chuckled, "You have to walk past the wall three times, thinking of the room you need and it appears and once you're inside it hides again until you're ready to come out."

"And it'll turn into any room you think about?"

"Yes siree, be it a loo…"

"A broom closet…"

"A broom closet filled with cleaning supplies…"

"Or somewhere to hide someone who's very very pissed until they've sobered."

"Pissed?"

"Drunk."

"Oh." Ben spun around, grabbed the twins' hands, shook them enthusiastically, thanked them profusely for the help and sprinted off.

"Great! THANKS _**A LOT **_BEN! _**YOU'RE REALLY**_ BEING _**HELPFUL**_ RUNNING OFF!" Gwen shouted after him angrily only for Kevin to pop back up. The twins took off.

"It is done." He said cryptically.

"It is?"

"Yep."

"Sweet."

"He's gonna shit himself, you know that right?"

"Probably, then we get to remind him for as long as we're in contact. Now, 'cuse me…"

She went to see what kind of household spellbooks they had to offer. Kevin leaned against the door, not being a big fan of books, keeping watch.

"_**AHHHH**_!" Harry hid behind Hermione as the orange monster hunted him.

"Calm down Harry," Hermione said, "It's just a Persian cat…and he's gorgeous, yes you are…" she picked up the beast and turned him onto his back in her arms in order to rub his stomach. The monster began purring.

Harry straightened, watching the girl and kitty. "Do you want to buy him?"

She frowned, "I don't have the money to…"

"Happy Birthday then Mione." He smiled.

"I can't let you—"

"Mione you buy me birthday gifts every year, and Christmas. Time for payback. So do you want the cat?"

"Yes."

He nodded, motioning to the proprietor of the shop.

She was a black woman, heavy set but very kind looking.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, I'd like to buy this cat," he motioned to the orange beast.

The owner smiled; "Crookshanks, you've finally found someone you like!" she turned to Harry, "Two Galleons for Crookshanks and everything you'll need."

"Fair enough."

"Follow me please."

Crookshanks began to purr louder.

Meanwhile Ben, who had come back soon after running off, stocked up on Sugar Mice for birds and cats. They were gummy sweet meat flavored rodent shaped confections that were charmed to squeak and run around in the presence of a bird or cat. Sixteen boxes were piled in his arms, each containing four three inch long and inch and a half wide candy mice in an assortment of flavorings.

Gwen and Kevin were posted at the door; Gwen looked at her watch, calling, "Fifteen minutes guys."

"Let's go to the Three Broomsticks, after we meet up with the other two," Harry called.

"Three Broomsticks?"

"It's a pub," Harry answered, "Students go there all the time."

"Oh, alright."

"How did they become so pissed?" Ron shouted as he and Harry carried a totally sloshed Ben back to the carriages.

"Our systems must have converted something in those butterbeers to alcohol," Gwen replied coherently, with a giggle, even though she was drunk as well. Hermione was at her side, helping keep her steady.

"Then why aren't you barmy like him!"

Ben giggled, slurring his words, "You speak funny."

"Benji's a flyweight, can't hold his liquor you see." Kevin explained, equally as drunk as the other two. He was helping Julie carry the group's purchases, "Me an' Gwen can so we aren't as loopy." He stumbled a little but recovered.

"You sure you're okay Kevin?" Hermione asked worriedly. He nodded shortly, "Yeah so long as I don't have ta drive, fight, or write anything I'm good."

"I don't understand," Harry puffed, "didn't you guys drink butterbeer at the party?"

"Nope." Julie answered, she was carrying the wicker basket holding Crookshanks along with a satchel of candy and a bag of books on her back, "Ben had pumpkin juice, Kevin had soda and Gwen and I had water."

"Right." The inebriated redhead confirmed the story with another giggle, "Juice, soda, and waters."

"And why aren't you drunk?" Ron demanded of Julie.

"Oh, I'm just human like you three," she smiled softly.

"What have you been feeding him?" Ron cried out as he and Harry hit a wall, starting to collapse under Ben's weight.

"Hold on," Hermione went for her wand, "hold the wall Gwen."  
"O…kay Mione." She did as told.

Hermione made a complicated motion and intoned, "Mobilicorpus Ben, Gwen, and Kevin."

"Whoa!" the three drunk Yanks were lifted from their feet, to hover a few feet off the ground.

"Harry, Ron, grab the stuff," Hermione ordered, orchestrating their procession expertly.

"Locomotor shopping bags," Harry mimicked Hermione's motions flawlessly and the items began floating along.

They arrived at the carriages. Hermione shrunk the bags and pocketed them.

"Here," Julie set down Crookshanks and moved to Ben, messing around with his watch until she found the form she needed and then she activated it. In a flash of green light Ben went from human to a small white alien that seemed to have electrical jacks on his back. Once he was changed Hermione let him drop only for Julie to catch him and carry him in an arm.

It was this way that they had the room for Crookshanks and his basket.

"We'll take them to Hospital Wing," Harry said and his sober friends nodded, "she can clean out their systems."

Ben, now sleeping as an alien in Julie's lap, hiccupped and rolled over, holding onto her thumb. Gwen and Kevin were similarly dozing, collapsed together. His arm was about her waist, his cheek on the crown of her head. She was turned towards him, holding his free hand tightly with her head on his chest.

"My word," Gryffindor Head of House Minerva McGonagall swore as the group came staggering home, "What happened here?"

"We got-_hic_-drunk off of-_hic_-butterbeer ma'am." Gwen giggled happily and it was clear she was losing coherency. The drunk Yanks were once again floating along.

"How?"

"Their alien systems changed the contents of the drink," Hermione explained as she moved them up the stairs, walking backwards. Ron was taking their purchases up to the common room with the help of Ship.

"Yay!" that was the still loopy drunk Ben, without any prompting.

"Why did he just shout 'Yay'?" McGonagall asked, now escorting them up to the fourth floor.

"He's a barmy boozer, Professor," Harry said lowly, "the other two are much better off."

"Poppy!" McGonagall called as they entered the wing, "Poppy! Poppy come quickly!"

"What's all the fuss about then?" the matron came bustling out from her office.

"The new students had an allergic reaction to butterbeer, they're completely pissed!"

"Lay them down, lay them down then!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine: Oddities**

It was a very crisp October morning, causing the students to add layers to their usual wear; except for three.

"LAST ONE IN IS A _**HUMAN**_!" Ben called, diving into the lake in only his swim trunks. He surfaced seconds later, beginning to lazily backstroke. His comrades soon joined him and they carried on like it was a hundred degrees.

"How can they do that? That water must be twenty degrees at most!" Hermione asked incredulously. The four humans were seated under the birch tree, on Ship who had taken on the shape of a bench and self heated. They were bundled quite completely and still shivering miserably.

"They're aliens," Julie shrugged, "long ago I quit being shocked about the things they do." She put her thumb and index finger into her mouth and whistled sharply. She then raised her arm, Theron landed seconds later with something in his mouth.

"Theron," she chastised, taking the glass sphere from him, "you're not supposed to take from anyone other than Slytherins and adults…"

A plume of red smoke exploded within the sphere, "Oh dear."

"Any idea what you've forgotten?" Harry asked, trying to be helpful.

"No…no I don—" her face paled and she fished a prescription from her pocket, "Crap! Theron revenio ea…uh…guys what's the Latin word for trinket?"

"There is none…_**ornatus**_ means ornament though," Hermione replied.

"Close enough, thanks; Theron, revenio ea ornatus iam." She held the trinket up and Theron took it, soaring off.

She then whistled again, differently this time and Ben suddenly stood in front of them, "Yeah?"

"I forgot to give you your meds," she took out two small white capsules and he gulped them down before retreating back to the water.

"So," Julie started, putting away the medication and pulling the coats around her tighter, "what do you guys do for Halloween?"

"There's a feast; it's all candy. Muggle and magical candies," Harry spoke up.

"Urgh hurgh," the American moaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"What's up?" Ron asked.

"Ben…he…gets really really hyper; he'll be bouncing off the walls all night tonight and maybe tomorrow too…This's not going to be fun…"

"When you say 'bouncing off the walls'…?"

"I mean it literally.

"_**AAAHHHH**_!" Ben screamed, being lifted from the water by a tentacle.

"Oops…I should've mentioned the Giant Squid…" Hermione flushed, "Sorry."

"_**GIANT SQUID!**_"

"Don't worry," Harry soothed, "it's completely docile."

"_****_!" and Ben was thrown from the lake, thankfully he was skilled enough to go Jet-ray mid fall and swoop around to begin firing laser beams at the squid.

"Don't attack the SQUID _**YOU IDIOT**_! BEN _**LISTEN TO ME**_! _**DO NOT**_ ATTACK THE—" a tentacle batted him down like a fly, making a deep trench in the ground, "He's an idiot."

"Hospital wing?" Harry asked as the four stood from their toasty seats.

"Hospital wing," Julie sighed, signaling for the other two to come back to shore. They did so reluctantly as the four humans were stabilizing the alien.

"The squid became defensive," Hermione explained to Gwen as she healed the young man.  
The redheaded young woman nodded absentmindedly… Ben popped back up perfectly healed.

And then Gwen began to shudder, glowing slightly and moaned.

"Oh crap." Kevin gathered her up, bridal style, hating how she shivered against him.

"What's wrong with her?" Harry demanded as they set off at a sprint.

"It's All Hallows Eve," Julie explained, drawing her wand and clearing a path by sending students flying to the sides, "Every magical thing, ley lines and whatnot, on Earth is supercharged. She's an energy being, she absorbs manna, magical energy, from her surroundings. She's being supercharged and it might break her physical form. If that happens we're all very much screwed."

They raced up the stairs, heading for Gryffindor and still sending students scattering.  
"Puffskein! Puffskein! _**PUFFSKEIN**_!" they shouted at the Fat Lady.

She sniffed at them but swung open to let them in.

"It's under our bed," Kevin barked out at Julie and Ben who nodded as they all charged up the third staircase and straight into a second portrait, "Porlock! Porlock! _**PORLOCK**_!"

The portrait gave them the evil eye but swung open to reveal a small apartment.

They all raced deeper, into a bedroom; Ben and Julie went to their knees and dug around under the four poster bed to pull out a hollow metal something that was shaped like a human with limbs outstretched to make a five pointed star. There were several locks on it but the two Yanks undid them all expertly within seconds and then opened a small slit on the lid. They opened it and Kevin carefully laid Gwen into it and then they shut the lid, the small slit going over her mouth, redoing the locks.

"What are you doing?" Hermione was horrified.

"It's the only way," Kevin replied quietly, "this's made of cold iron, it helps keep her together on All Hallows Eve and similar days. We don't like it but it has to be done…" he traced her exposed lips with remorse and tenderness that clashed harshly with his usual attitude, his normal bravado, "She can be let out tomorrow morning; it'll be safe then. The power will ebb away overnight."

"So what are we doing then?"

"Normal routine…" he felt a palm ghost his cheek and felt a little better.

She was floating, her spirit being only connected to her body by a fragile manna tether. Everything was hazy, indistinct. Formerly physical objects were reduced to their manna components. She was dizzy, nauseas, weak, exhausted. She could feel her friends moving her body into the binder, feel Kevin touching her. She could hear them talking about her but it sounded so muffled, like she had cotton in her ears.

"Normal routine…" he sounded so sad. She knew he hated it when they were separated. So she shook her head to clear it, everything resuming their normal solid forms and volumes, pulled herself from her physical body completely, lengthened the leash she had, and moved to stand in front of him. She reached out and brushed his cheek. He looked like he felt better and the group of six trooped off. Gwen sighed, she hated being in this sort of limbo, and settled into a meditative position.  
And then a ghost came through the wall, "_Oh dear_…" Nick said softly, looking saddened.

"_I'm not dead_, _really_," she offered hurriedly, "_I'm just having a really long out of body experience, Halloween does this to me_…" Nick didn't look convinced, "_Seriously_, _my body has a pulse_, _and it's breathing_. _Ask my friends_."

"_Alright_…_can the livings see you_?"

"_No_, _not right now and they can't hear me either_. _For all intents and purposes I am a spirit right now_… _I'm actually kind of surprised you can see and hear me_…"

"_Oh_?"

"_You're stuck between the plains of existence_, _I'm in a higher one right now_; _you shouldn't be able to see me and even if you can you definitely shouldn't be able to hear me_."

He smiled, bowing, "_Well then Miss Tennyson_, _I must insist you accompany me to the Hogwarts' Ghosts' Halloween Soiree_…"

"_I don't know_…_I'll be pulled back into my body at twelve oh one and if I'm not nearby_…"

"_I_ _swear on my un-life that you shall be back here by twelve oh one_. _C'mon_, what _do you have to lose_?" he extended his hand, giving her a very familiar smile.

"_Alright_." She took his hand, being able to grasp it at the moment, smiling, "_You wouldn't happen to have descendants in America would you_?"

"_No_, _I do not think so_, _why_?" and they went through the wall.

"_Nothing_, _nevermind_. _You just reminded me of Kevin_…"

"_He is a very lucky man_."

"_So he tells me daily_…"

SIX HOURS LATER

Everything was routine. Kevin was moping, Ben was hyped up on sugar, and everyone else was trying not to provoke either of them.

Then there was a scream, an ear piercing glass shattering scream from the top of the school.

They all looked up, terrified and shocked.

"Didyouguyshearthat? Ihearditdidyou? " Ben asked, his words running together because of his sugar high.

"Yeah we heard it."

"ItsoundedlikeitcamefromGryf—"

Kevin bolted from the hall, the teachers and the Prefects running after him, with the order, "Benji get your ass in gear. Julie hold down the fort here, don't let the students from the hall."

"Right! I'mcomingKevin!" Ben morphed into a reptilian alien and zipped out, being visible as only a blue streak.

They all watched the great doors thud close and then heard the large bolt lock fall into place. Instantly speculation started.

Julie sighed and clambered up onto the staff's table, calling for order which she didn't get until Hermione magnified her voice for her, "_**HEY! EVERYONE LISTEN UP!**_"

She got every pair of eyes on her, "_**Thank you**_. _**Okay, here's what we're going to do**_. _**Something's going on**_, _**we all know that but we don't know exactly what so there's no use for speculations and rumours and working yourselves up so knock it off**_. _**Understand**_?"

"Why should we listen to you?" Malfoy piped up and Julie smirked, pulling out her badge, saying, "_**You see this little thing here**_, _**this**_ _**badge means that I have absolute authority in a situation such as this**_. _**I am above your teachers**_, _**your parents**_, _**your governments**_. _**Therefore I am in charge right now and anyone who resists my attempts to keep order will be arrested and sent to this absolutely lovely little prison on an asteroid beyond Mars**_, _**without your wand**_, _**until you can be seen by the courts and that could take quite awhile and while you are waiting you'll have no bail**_, _**bribes won't get you out. Are we all clear on this**_?"

Most nodded.

"_**Good**_. _**Now has everyone eaten enough**_?"

Everyone nodded.

"_**Alright, now everyone stand up please**_."

They did so.

"_**Seventh and sixth years I need your help**_, _**the tables have to go**_."

The oldest kids nodded and drew their wands and they worked in tandem, making the tables disappear with work.

"_**Good**_,_** now everyone above first year conjure sleeping bags for yourself and at least one first year**_." With ease they did so, the other students helping Slytherin's first years because their housemates wouldn't, and thus the hall was made into a temporary dorm.

"_**Good, now I must ask you to stay with people you trust with your life and keep your wands in reach**_. _**Thank you**_. _**Finite**_." Her voice went back to normal, although her throat was sore and her voice now hoarse. She jumped off the table and headed to her group, "Hermione, Ron, I want you on either side of Harry." She motioned for the other Weasleys to join them, "All of you; Harry's the top priority right now. Keep sharp." They all nodded, ignoring the boy's protestation of this plan, and she went to the doors, whispering, "Ship, form GG-45 please." The symbiote leapt from her wrist, morphing into a very large Gatling gun, with seat, that she manned, "Fire on my order and only on my order. Understand Ship?"

"_**Shhhiiiipppp**_." A bit of him broke off and globbed onto her face, becoming goggles to shield her eyes from the light and earplugs to save her hearing.

His boots pounded the polished marble staircases as he ran. He cursed the amount of steps this place had. He could hear everyone behind him and Ben in front of him.

"Ohmygod!" Ben looked down from the seventh floor landing, calling out, "SomeonedestroyedtheFatLady!"

It was true; three large claw marks had slashed the canvases, exposing the wooden backing.

"FatLady! FatLady! Whereareyou?"

"He's mad!" the Fat Lady shrieked from another portrait where she cowered behind a rock.

"WhoattackedyouFatLady?"

"It was him! Eyes like voids he had! And talons! Horrible talons!

"Who attacked you!" Kevin demanded as he made it to the landing, everyone right behind him.

"Sirius Black! He's in the castle!"

As if right on cue, there was a crack of lightening and the roll of thunder and the lights dimmed.

"Did he get into Gryffindor?" Kevin demanded again.

"No…no he didn't…"

He let out a sigh of relief before beginning to dole out orders, "Ben get back to the Hall and stay there; they're sitting ducks right now—"

"Right!" he went back into XLR8 and zipped away.

"Everyone else make a sweep of the castle, every nook and cranny must be searched. Meet back in the Hall."

They nodded, shocked when he leapt off the landing and onto the sixth.

"_Something's not right_," she murmured, "_Nick_, _I have to go_. _Something's not right_…_Sorry_."

Before she could leave Professor Flitwick came running, squeaking, "Sirius Black is in the castle! Search! Search! Search! Search the castle!"

"_Harry_!" she left with a soft pink flash, instantly appearing in the Great Hall. Worriedly she surveyed the scene below her. She saw Ben, Julie, and Ship posted at the doors; she saw a mass of red hair with hints of brown and black almost invisible. She let out a sigh of relief before looking to the clock. She had two more hours of uselessness. It wasn't that she couldn't break out from her metal shell it was just that it wasn't safe for her to; if Sirius Black forced their hands…

"Why do things always happen to us, to me, on Halloween?" Harry was saying.

"It doesn't always happen on Halloween Harry," Hermione argued and his eyebrow rose as he began to tick off occurrences, "Voldemort killed my parents and gave me my scar on Halloween when I was one, when I was five Dudley broke my arm on Halloween because I wouldn't give him my candy, first year we dealt with the troll on Halloween, last year Mrs. Norris got petrified on Halloween and now this…"

"He has a point Mione," Ron agreed, "'ween sucks for us."

Harry yawned.

"Go to sleep, Harry," Hermione said softly, "we've got things covered here."

"No. I don't like it. You guys shouldn't be protecting me; if this Black bloke wants me badly enough to break into Hogwarts he'll be able to get past you and all."

"It'll be fine, Harry, go to sleep."

Hours later the teachers and Prefects, the ghosts, Gwen, and Plumbers convened in a chamber off to the side.

It was found that no one had found anything to suggest Sirius Black had been in or anywhere near Hogwarts that night. It was agreed that security would be tightened and the Fat Lady replaced with another portrait.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter Ten: Missing Teacher Syndrome**

"Slimy arse!" Ron bellowed as they came up from the dungeons, his face blackened by soot and sweat. His friends were similarly dirtied. Long story short Neville Longbottom had caused yet another accident, melting yet another cauldron and it had been a very volatile mixture spilled. The 'slimy arse' in question was not Neville but Professor Snape who had made the Gryffindors, save Gwen for some reason, clean up the unstable concoction

Julie coughed up a puff of black smoke; absentmindedly Ben pounded on her back, trying to help her get whatever her lungs had up and out.

"And why did she get out of the work?" the belligerent Weasley continued, jerking his thumb at the one pristine person in their grouping, "Is she a Slytherin in disguise or something?"

"Maybe she reminds him of some woman he knew, he was a Hogwarts student when he was our age." Hermione shrugged, "Maybe his bird slipped away and he's trying to right a wrong or something." Harry continued her thought as they came into the entrance hall, "But whatever's going on it's not Gwen's fault, Snape's a slimy evil git. Now let's go eat lunch, I'm starved…"

They had made it to the Gryffindor table, had taken seats, and had filled their plates before a log rectangular package came in, being carried by three owls who were led by Hedwig. It was dropped off into the middle of the table, in front of Harry. The wrapping was plain brown postal wrapping paper, labeled, 'Harry Potter, Gryffindor House, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogsmeade, Scotland'.

"Well open it up," Kevin commanded, "We haven't got all day."

The boy did so with tentative hands, ripping a swathe of paper away to reveal a brightly colored box and the letters 'LT' in a bright bold font

"Merlin's beard, Harry," Ron spoke with awe, "someone got you a _**Firebolt**_!"

The hall went quiet even though Harry was shaking his head and saying, "No, no way. No one I know would put out enough money, for me, for that."

"Open it up," Ron urged, "rip it open like a Christmas present…"

Harry suddenly backed up, pulling his wand out and pointing it at the box, ready to incinerate the package, "Guys, there's an escaped, barmy murderer after me. This's a trap isn't it? Something's gonna jump out and try to do me i—"

"It ain't a trap, idiot." Kevin snorted, "Just open it already."

"How do you know it isn't a trap?"

"'Cause I ordered it for you, _**you dumbass**_!"

"You bought it for me?"

"What? Are you deaf or something? I just said I did!"

"Kev, be nice; he's just surprised." Gwen piped up, "Harry, just open it okay?"

Harry nodded and put aside his wand; still slowly ripping the wrapping away bit by bit, driving everyone watching completely insane.

And then the box sat bare, the word '**FIREBOLT**' emblazoned on it.

"Open it Harry!" several Gryffindor boys egged him on, pounding the table with their fists in an almost tribal rhythm.

He inhaled and gulped, opening the box and pulling out a gleaming, polished, streamline broom with not a twig out of place.

Thus Harry, followed by half of the male Gryffindors, his bodyguards, and Hermione, raced out to the front of the school and kicked off, breaking in the broom. Ben went Jet-ray and trailed after him, struggling to keep up.

"It has the tracking device right?" Gwen asked Kevin quietly.

"And the vitals' monitoring system and the grounding system." Kevin nodded, pulling out a small handheld system and showing her it.

"Alright Harry!" Ben shouted an hour later, "time to land!"

"Fine." He landed as told, back at his starting area.

It was Defense Against the Dark Arts after lunch and they lined up at the door, getting worried with each passing moment as Professor Lupin was always very punctual. And then the 'Slimy arse' showed up. With his overly large hooked nose and his overly greasy hair he glowered with what may have been _**glee**_.

"Open your books to page three hundred ninety five." He strutted through the room and caused the shutters to shut, plunging them into dim darkness.

"Werewolves?" Hermione asked, flabbergasted, having already opened the book to the page, "Sir, we're not supposed to study those until after Easter holidays."

"Five points from Gryffindor," he drawled, "for defiance."

"Sir," Neville spoke up, hand in the air, "Where is Professor Lupin? Is he alright?"

"Five points from Gryffindor for talking out of turn; Professor," the word dripped loathing and sarcasm, "Lupin has taken ill and as such will not be teaching classes for a few days…now…" he started a projector of slides, of various artistic and photographic depictions of were-creatures, "The word 'Werewolf' is comprised of two parts first the Anglo-Saxon word 'Were' meaning 'Man' and the English word 'wolf', 'man' and 'wolf' 'Man-wolf' 'were-wolf'. Stories, cases, of persons who transform into beasts have permeated cultures, both wizarding and muggle, since the dawn of Man himself. Of course Muggles have and had have incorrect theories on this tragic," again the word dripped sarcasm and loathing, "condition. For example, the Hellenistic Greeks," the projection showed a vase with the painting of a werewolf devouring a mortal, "believed that persons with orange or red hair were predisposed to lycanthropy, a belief that is completely at odds with both Magical Biology and muggle biology—"

Most students were busily taking notes, dreading the essay clearly to be assigned.

"Due next Monday," he finally assigned, "three rolls on werewolves, with special emphasis on recognizing and defeating one." The bell rang, "Class dismissed."

Later that night six of the seven, Ron was in bed already, were scattered around the common room, books open and quills to papers (or in Kevin's case Ship as a laptop).

"Hey Ben," Julie suddenly broke the silence that had engulfed them, "can you go wolf so I can sketch you?"

"You'll scratch behind my ears?" he asked.

"I'll scratch behind your ears and throw in a tummy rub," she promised with a smile.

He grinned and stood up, walking away from the grouping and into the open space of the room. He searched through the Ultramatrix's database, finally finding the 'Yendalooshi' listing and activating it. In a flash of green light a seven foot tall grey werewolf with glowing green eyes stood in the common room where the young man had been.

Thus began one of the oddest things Hogwarts had probably ever seen. Julie set down her books, approached the werewolf, and began to rub it's tummy like it was a dog.

"Werewolves and werewolfism are alien in origin," Gwen explained to a shocked Harry and Hermione, "but the more removed from the alien source the werewolf is the more unstable, feral, and bloodthirsty the werewolf is."

"And he—?"

"Gets it directly from the source, the DNA databases of Prima which is a planet that is a streaming DNA databank with the Ultramatrix being like a computer, a way to get into the database of DNA and use it but not the source of it…does that make sense?"

"Yes," both nodded.

"Who's a good boy? Who's a good boy? You are! Yes you are!" Julie was now kneeling on the floor, Ben's werewolf head in her lap so she could rub his ears. He was clearly enjoying it, with his tail wagging and one of his hind legs, his wolf legs, going wild against the floor. _***THUMPTHUMPTHUMPTHUMP…***_

"Isn't that demeaning for him though?" Hermione asked, "She's treating him like a dog…"

"No," Julie replied, "because I know, understand that no matter what form he's in that at his core he's a human and always will be. He's always Ben Tennyson of Earth. I don't try to train his more animalistic forms but me doing things like scratching his ears or rubbing his stomach is okay in a way because I have his permission and I know he gets enjoyment from it…look at him…" Now the werewolf seemed half asleep, the tip of his tongue out of his mouth at the side.

"Gwen, can you pass me my sketching kit please?"

"Sure thing," the redheaded girl dug into her friend's bag and pulled out the requested item, floating it over to it's owner. Julie grabbed it from mid-air, opening it and pulling out the sketch pad and a soft leaded sketching pencil. Carefully, she started to draw his head, paying attention to his face and eyes in order to show his humanity.

He whined but stayed still. "Shouldn't he time out soon?"

"He won't Hermione," Julie replied calmly, "he's got it in Master Mode, unlimited time changed."

"_**!**_" the sound reverberated throughout Gryffindor House, causing all but Julie and Ben to charge up the boys' staircase and into the third year dorm. Crookshanks leapt from Harry's bed and into Hermione's arms as an infuriated Ron stalked up to her, roaring, "That monster ate Scabbers!"

"Crookshanks would never eat Scabbers!" Hermione defended her pet.

Ron shook his bed-sheet at her, "Look here! Do you see the blood! That monster murdered my rat!"

"Scabbers probably just bit himself, he's covered in fleas."

"Keep that cat out of here!"

"Fine!"

And Hermione, with Crookshanks, stormed out followed by everyone but Ron.

It was time to pack up for bed and so they broke into their sleeping arrangements, bidding each other goodnight.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter Eleven: Extra Credit **

"_**Kevin Ethan Levin**_!"

The so named young man shut his trap, winced, pulled on his patented 'Kicked Puppy Left out in Ice Cold Rain' face and slowly turned to face his fuming fiancée, "Gwen?" he whimpered.

"Couch," was the verdict, delivered with an eerie serenity. And then she walked away.

"Oh c'mon! He's just a portrait and he's crazy!"

She did not respond. He sighed, shouldering his bag and following after her with his head hanging.

There was also silence between Ron and Hermione. It was at this point that Harry became glad that Uncle Vernon had made him learn to hold his tongue, guard his thoughts, and above all to stay quiet as not to incur conflict upon himself.

In fact it seemed that the only pair not fighting, in Gryffindor at least, was Ben and Julie. They were still blissfully in love, walking hand in hand. The notable fights were as follows: the entirety of the unattached female population, save Hermione, was currently fighting over the right to approach one guy. Do not get between a sufficiently infatuated teenage girl and the person of her interest. (Too bad that guy had a girlfriend who could kill them all with just a wink and a thought.) Things were becoming dirty in this war.

Another dirty three-way war was happening between Fred, George, and their friend Lee Jordan. The muggle-raised would name it World War III. At this point eating, drinking and/or using anything without checking it first was considered Too Dumb to Live and it was the general view that if you did so you deserved whatever you got.

Still yet another row was being had between Percy and Ginny Weasley. No one knew what it was about and no one dared to ask.

And something was causing the Gryffindor males to hate each other.

All in all Ben and Julie were the only ones not sucked into the Hate Wars and Harry worked diligently to keep himself out of it as well.

"Professor!" Neville piped up in relief as Lupin came from the backroom of the classroom. The older man was paler than usual and seemed exhausted but smiled all the same, "Friends, I assume that you had Snape as your supply teacher, what did he assign as homework?"

"Three rolls on werewolves sir." Hermione answered, "We tried to tell him we weren't due to study them yet, sir, but he wouldn't listen!"

"I see," Lupin said, uncharacteristically broodingly, "and how many of you completed the assignment?"

All of the Gryffindors raised their hands; none of the Slytherins raised theirs.

"Right." Cheery Lupin was back, "it's due today and each house gets five points for every three rolls turned in."

The Slytherins seemed shocked and disgusted while the Gryffindors cheered and passed in their work.

"We will review werewolves after Easter Holidays but for today…vampires!"

Julie raised her hand, asking tiredly, "Please tell us they don't sparkle sir."

The teacher, and the muggle raised students, laughed, "I promise these are real vampires we're talking about. Vampires are not the stuff of muggle romance novels or of Halloween fun but true, tragic beings on par with werewolves…"

"I like this school," Ben said enthusiastically as they left the classroom, "we should talk to Professor Dumbledore, see if we can't finish out our magical educations, even if we or Harry manages to kill Voldie…"

"You really want to?" Julie asked surprised.

"Duh, why shouldn't we? Especially you, you have a better way to protect yourself from our enemies now. We should strengthen every advantage we have…"

"What about our diplomas?" Gwen brought up.

"Summer school or adult education or another way during our breaks," he waved away her question, "And Grandpa Max and his little team can protect the town, we've earned a break haven't we?"

"I don't know Ben," Gwen chewed her lip, "We have lives, duties, back home; we can't just give that all up."

"We wouldn't be," he stopped, causing the entire group to stop, "C'mon Gwen, everything happens for a reason right? We were brought here for a reason—"

"To protect Harry, as soon as Voldemort's gone we will be put onto another assignment. You can't ignore your duties Ben—"

Ben was suddenly in her face, his eyes burning with tranquil fury, "Ignore my duties? That's what you think? Tell me, Gwendolyn, who was it that kept Vilgax from the Omnitrix? Or Hex from world domination? Or Kevin El—" He was throw back by a punch, her fist smoked pink.

"Do not dare to bring _**that**_ up," she intoned in a slight echo, "half the stuff you've stopped was your fault to begin with. Including _**him**_. Yes you've stopped the world from ending but do not dare forget how it started." Her eyes went pink, she was embarking on a power trip "I am of the primal energies and I can end you easily, dear cousin; you are but a bug to me."

With that threat delivered she picked up her bag and glided off, her feet not touching the floor, leaving her friends behind in stunned silence.

Julie knelt beside Ben, her fingers gently touching his bruising cheek and eye and saying softly, "She really does want to stay."

Kevin herded the kids onward, leaving them alone.

"She doesn't act like it," he muttered darkly.

"She's torn, Ben; she wants to stay here and learn, she can learn magic here without wasting seventy years of life, she'll be allowed to live her life and still be as powerful as Verdona. But she worries about Grandpa Max, he's getting older and those juniors of his are still so green…."

"All the more reason to stay and learn," he spoke ardently, "if we learn all we can we'll be better able to do our jobs…you'll be safer…"

She smiled, helping him up, "I'm as safe as possible; I have you, the Wielder of the Ultramatrix, as a boyfriend. I know you won't let anything hurt me." She frowned, his face was darkening by the moment.

"Can I try a spell?" she pulled out her wand.

"What spell?"

"Just one to get rid of a shiner; I've been studying magical first aid in the library. Seemed prudent…"

"Alright…"

"Hold still," she traced the outline of the bruising with the tip of her wand, "Sano frendo plene."

It felt like that side of his face was on fire briefly before it iced itself and then went back to feeling normal, "How does it look?"

"Better," she inspected her workmanship, "it's still slightly discolored though."

His stomach rumbled, "Let's go eat, shall we?" he offered her his arm,

She smiled, stowing her wand, and accepted his arm and they headed to lunch.

It was half past midnight when the scream and then the sounds of a heavy thud, a roar, and finally shattering glass rented the House.

"What the hell's going on?" Gwen demanded, dressed only in a pink silky bathrobe, as she entered the third year boys' dormitory, only to find it totally destroyed. Ben sat, slumped against the wall, knocked silly once again. Harry and a couple other boys sat barricaded by upturned beds, away from the door or window. Ron was standing, feet planted firmly and wand raised, before the shattered window and was very pale and shocked.

"Sirius Black," he repeated over and over again, in shock, "in our dormitory?"

"Sirius Black?" Gwen yelped, "He was here? Kevin," the young man had just arrived, "Go get Dumbledore, now!"

"Right," he spun around on his heel, racing down the stairs.

"Hermione," the girl had just arrived as well, "get everyone, except Ben, into Kevin's and mine dormitory. The password's 'wrath'…"

"Alright, sono_**rus**_" her voice magnified as she pointed her wand to her throat, saying, "_**Alright**_, _**everyone up the third staircase**_. _**Now**_."

Julie forced her way up through the retreating students, sending Ship with them, and came onto the scene to see Ben unconscious and being laid out to be healed.

"_**BEN!**_" she fell to her knees at his side, looking him over frantically. There was a cut on his forehead that was still bleeding. His nose was bleeding and his arm was positioned oddly.

"Don't worry," Gwen soothed, "he'll be alright. Just a concussion and a broken arm and nose."

"What happened?"

"Ron says Black was here but nothing else; what I'm guessing happened was Black got in, woke them up, Ben charged, got thrown back, the boys barricaded Harry and Ron blasted Black out the window…"

Julie moved to stand at the window, peering down at the very distant ground, "He must've teleported away or something because there's no way a human could survive the fall…"

"Never say something like that, you know how things work. You just guaranteed his survival."

"Sorry."

"What the hell happened?" an older voice demanded.

"Couldn't find the old geezer, got Professor McGonagall instead."

"Five points from Gryffindor, for calling the headmaster an 'old geezer'."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve: A Meltdown**

"_**GWEN!**_" she had been doing homework in front of the fire when Seamus Finnigan came running in, screaming her name.

"Yes?" she blinked tiredly.

"Kevin's gone mad!"

"He'll be fine," she dismissed the complaint.

"No, I mean completely barmy; he's destroying everything in his path and hurting people."

Her face paled and her papers went flying as she jumped up, sprinting out with Seamus behind her.

"How bad?" she demanded.

"Bad, he shrugged off stunner spells—"

"Does he still have his wand?"

"No, Harry disarmed him when he went nuts."

"Good. What floor is he on?"

"Second."

"Is there an unused classroom on that floor?"

"Yes, why?"

"When I get him in there it'll need to be locked and nobody is to go in there for at least twenty-four hours."

"O…kay." They arrived on the second floor.

"Man the door boys."

Ben, Harry, Ron, and Seamus ran to flank the classroom's door.

The hallway was absolutely destroyed and the stairwell that led to the first floor showed similar signs of Kevin Eleven having gone through it.

As it was he was tormenting a few first years while Julie and Hermione attempted to subdue him by magic. The spells bounced off him harmlessly.

Gwen took off her shoes, slipped out of her tights, and discarded her robes, saying, "Julie make sure those get back to Gryffindor please."

He paused at her voice.

"Dad forgive me!" she muttered before inhaling, exhaling and beginning to use her…feminine wiles to lure him away from the poor traumatized tweens and to her. That telltale glint entered his eye and that smirk found his face as he saw her. He approached her quickly. When he pounced she dodged, sprinting into the room making sure he was right behind her.

"Now!"

Their friends slammed the door shut, sealing it magically behind them.

"What's she going to do?" Seamus asked worriedly. The man was a maniac and the girl seemed very delicate looking nevermind the powers she had

There were several bangs, thuds, and thumps.

"Gwen can calm Kevin in a way nobody else can." Julie explained while Ben mimed retching behind her.

"Oh." The teenagers blushed and then turned green.

There were _**other**_ sounds from the room.

"Hermione can you soundproof the room?" Ben asked

The bushy haired brunette nodded and made a complicated movement with her wand and the door glowed bright blue and then went back to normal.

"Thanks for getting her, Seamus," Ben spoke calmly, tipping the boy eight Sickles.

"No problem," Seamus pocketed the money with a nod, "but will he hurt her?"

"No, not in ways she doesn't enjoy anyways."

"Right." And he left.

Julie took Gwen's things to Gryffindor and, after gathering her school stuff, placed them in the apartment within.

When she returned to the common room she found the rest of her group, sans Gwen and Kevin of course, waiting with their bookbags.

"We should start that stupid Potions' essay," Ben voiced and she nodded, smiling, in agreement. She grabbed her things and they headed to the library.

"Wound Healing Potions…" she read out their assignment in a whisper so as not to incur the wrath of Madam Pince, "Isn't this a bit too advanced for third years?"

"It's Snape." Harry replied as justification.

"Spartan method Julie," Ben mumbled. As he had said, he liked this school but he didn't like the Potions' Master.

"I guess so…alright, let's do this…"

The scratching of quills were the only sounds coming from the group until a Prefect showed up with a note.

"Professor Lupin wants to meet with me," Julie read bemusedly, "right now."

"Why?" Ben replied.

"Doesn't say; stay here with the kids," she stood up, "I'll be right back…"

"Bu—!"

"No, you stay here; we were brought here to keep an eye on them," she pecked his cheek, "I'll be right back; don't worry so much." She walked off, leaving her things.

When she came back she was pale and looked rather confused.

"He thought I was a werewolf." She explained quietly.

"Did he hurt you?" Ben demanded, these witches and wizards seemed to see werewolves as less than even ants.

"No…but…when I explained that I wasn't and how I got that sketch he seemed…_**disappointed**_…"

"Why?"

"I don't know…"

Their badges lit up and they answered them.

"Hey guys, Kevin's sane again," it was Gwen, "can you bring us some clothes?"

Julie chuckled as she answered, "ten-four. Be there in a few minutes…"

She gathered up her stuff, saying, "C'mon guys, we don't need them streaking Hogwarts…"

Ben laughed uproariously and in return got a look that promised death from Madam Pince.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked, which only caused more and louder laughter and so Julie obliged the answer, "In our line of work we have dealt with many wild and wacky things…including a laser that destroyed clothes but left their former wearer harmless…unfortunately the way we found this out was that Kevin got beamed. Gwen was sick in bed at her place so she couldn't cover him with manna and then we find out that he locked himself out of his car, the keys still being in the ignition…"

Ron began laughing as did Harry.

"So then he had to walk, butt naked to my place, an hour's walk through the city mind you, past my parents and then had to patiently wait while I scavenged some of my Dad's old clothes…Now this, this was funny enough on its own terms right? It got better. Several persons had seen him complete his march of shame and recorded it via cell-phones…"

Hermione began to laugh.

"And quite a few videos were uploaded to various internet websites but one was shown on a local news channel…which is how and when Gwen found out…"

The laughter increased significantly as she deadpanned the ending of the sad tale of Kevin's Naked Time experience, "and then, my genius of a boyfriend here, remembered that he could have simply unlocked the GTO's door via several different alien abilities all with a clicking of his watch…"

They finally arrived at Gryffindor.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter Thirteen: Viva La Revolution! (Or Nests & Eggs)**

"Welcome to the United States of America, Harry," Ben introduced as Ship finally touched down stateside, morphing, around them, from corporate jet tominivan as they used an empty freeway as a landing strip.

"The country created out of a temper tantrum," Harry deadpanned.

"We kicked your asses; it wasn't no 'temper tantrum'." Kevin replied.

"Ship," Julie whispered to her pet, "speed up."

He did so, going at a blinding speed and yet being the safest driver on the road. The trees blurred into the road, becoming colorless and shapeless.

"Whoa."

And then they suddenly came to a complete stop, jarring them only slightly, in the driveway of an ordinary suburban house.

"Where're we?" Harry asked as his seatbelt unbuckled itself and his door opened on its' own.

"Home." Gwen replied with a gleeful grin.

"Gwen and Kevin live here," Julie explained, "this's their home; and yours now. I and Ben live with our parents."

"But they're just kids! How can they afford this?" Harry asked as he was herded to the front step.

"It's a long story kid," Kevin growled as he kicked up the doormat, pulled a set of keys, and inserted one into the keyhole, "let's just say I have a lot of extra money and it's mostly dirty but it makes a nice nest-egg…" he opened the door and led them into a nice hallway, "Gwen can you show Harry his room and everything?"

"Sure, c'mon Harry." She took the boy by the shoulder and steered him down another hallway, opening a door to an opulent guest bedroom. His trunk and Hedwig were already in the room.

"There's two doors," she explained, showing them to him, "One heads into the bathroom; full bathroom, toilet, sink, hot-tub bathtub and optional shower stall. The other door is a walk-in closet. Down the hall to the right is the library, you can work on your schoolwork there; beyond that and taking a left is the Master Suite, make sure to knock and verbally ask for entrance before you come in and if you don't what happens next is your own fault." She opened the window to let Hedwig out, "and don't worry about letting her out, people around here are pretty used to some very abnormal stuff happening…Follow me to the kitchen."

He did so, unaware as to what was happening above the house.

The next few days passed by in a blur, Harry was accepted into the fold without issue and was actually happy outside of Hogwarts. Kevin and Gwen were laid back guardians; he had a curfew of eight o'clock PM, bed time at ten PM, and no fun until homework was done. When they were on a mission he was put into the custody of Gwen's parents until they got back. That was it. As long as those conditions were met he was free to do as he pleased.

It wasn't until the day before Christmas that Harry noticed that something was off about Hedwig. So he waited until she was out hunting and inspected her cage. In a nest woven of newspaper strips, twigs, and threads sat two eggs, colored like someone had flicked different colors of paint on them.

There was a shrill shriek and suddenly he felt talons grazing the back of his head. He turned around expecting Hedwig but found, "_**Theron!**_"

The bird cried again, intensifying his attacks.

"Desino! Desino! _**Desino**_!" he cried, shielding his face and neck, but the bird wouldn't stop until he ran from the room.

"GWEN!" he shouted until he found her, "I think Julie's bird raped Hedwig."

"_**What?**_" she stopped chopping carrots for the stew that they were supposed bring to Ben's place on Christmas day, staring at him in confusion.

"Theron and Hedwig did the no-no and now there are two rainbow eggs and a very overprotective hawk in my bedroom," he said this loudly and slowly as if she was a young child.

"Don't be silly Harry." She laughed, "Falcons and owls don't breed together, they can't."

"Tell that to him, her, the eggs, and my arms!" he rolled up his sleeves and showed her the claw-marks, "He's in my room!"

"Alright. Alright." She charmed the kitchen to continue on without her and headed to his room. She opened the door, saw the glint of talons coming toward her eyes, and slammed the door shut only to hear a thud as Theron hit the door.

"We need Julie."

"Theron did _**what**_ now?" Julie blinked in shock.

"Blimey! You people are deaf! He shagged Hedwig and there're now two eggs in her cage and I can't get into my room because he's attacking everyone!"

"Okay, okay. I'll get him."

She went into the room, "Theron! Theron! _**Desino**_!" he promptly landed on her shoulder but pecked at her head irately.

She stroked him, "Cognosco ova?" she hoped she was using the right words. He cried again and bobbed as she approached the nest. She inspected the eggs, asking him, "Quisnam fungor tu facesso?"

He pecked her again, prompting, "Tu gero permitto Harry in is cubiculum vox vocis?"

He cried again just as Hedwig came in through the window. She glared at Julie, settling herself over her eggs and used her beak to shut the door to her cage. Theron left Julie's shoulder to perch on top of the cage and started to glare at his owner as well.

Julie wisely left, telling Harry, "They should let you in now but leave them alone. Besides you might just wanna rest today…"

"Why?" he asked.

She smiled, "Christmas with the Tennysons…it's an experience to be sure…Sweet dreams Harry." Cackling she left.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen: Patroni**

"Why are we outside?"

"He said we're working outside today."

"It's freezing!"

It was the middle of January, it was snowing, and they were trudging along outside to Defense Against the Dark Arts.

"Oh boo hoo Ron," Julie rolled her eyes, "Where we're from students are made to do physical exercises outside while wearing tank tops and shorts, rain or shine. Whether it's a hundred degrees or twenty."

"That's _**barbaric**_!" Hermione gasped.

"No, it's PE." Ben deadpanned as they got to the class.

"Welcome, Welcome! One and all!" Lupin spoke flamboyantly, as the ringmaster of a circus might, standing perched on a tree stump, "To class!" He leapt down, as spry as a man half his age, grinning, "Today we will be attempting the Patronus Charm; does anyone know—?" he chuckled, seeing the usual hand go up, "Hermione, take it away!"

"The Patronus Charm is used to repel Dementors and Lethifolds; but it's really advanced magic…"

"Which is why we're going to attempt it, five points to Gryffindor by the way; you will not be marked on whether or not you actually can conjure a fully corporal Patronus but on the effort as you attempt to…Wands out…"

Bags were dropped as the students did as instructed.

"Right, now Patroni are powered by happy memories; the happier the memory the stronger the Patronus. Now everyone find a happy memory…everyone got one?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good, now the incantation is 'Expecto Patronum'. Everyone repeat that please…"

They did.

"Good, again."

They repeated it.

"Once again please."

They did.

"Good, now spread out and try it."

They did so.

No one managed more than wispy white stuff for the first few attempts but the one that did it (made a physical Patronus) first was Hermione. Her Patronus was an otter, which for some reason flitted around Harry.

"Good show Hermione!" Lupin called, "Fifteen to Gryffindor!"

Then came Harry's, a great and noble stag. The stag promptly bowed to the otter and let the otter scramble onto its back before standing up.

Ben's popped up next, being a chatty and hyperactive monkey that would not shut up. The monkey ran to Julie and clambered to her back. This gave her the power needed to let her own take flight. Hers was a graceful heron. It burst from the tip of her wand, landing feet away. The monkey on her back dismounted her and clambered onto the heron's instead.

Gwen's was a fox, scampering about Kevin who was still struggling. It, unlike the other Patroni, was tinged slightly pink.

Patroni began popping up, like daisies, a veritable zoo being created. Animal calls were making a constant din. Of note was Malfoy's; his was a hippo.

Ron's was a terrier, looked like a Scottish Terrier, that would not shut up.

Soon it was only Kevin who had not produced even a ghostly shade of his.

"I can't do it," he finally gave up on it.

"Why?" Gwen asked softly.

"I've got no good memories."

"What about me?" she asked sharply.

His head shot up, "Of course you're good…"

"Then use them…find the best memory you've made with me and use it…"

He nodded, inhaling and exhaling as he recalled a memory.

"Expecto Patronum." He whispered hoarsely and then his wand began shaking as the Patronus finally took form. The back end came out first. Powerful leg and hip muscles and a non-existent tail and then the rest slid out easily and so soon a massive Grizzly Bear stood before them.

It reared onto it's back legs and let out an earth shaking roar, baring it's powerful teeth to its' creator and everyone else. It then went back to all fours and simply sat beside the fox.

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!" Lupin applauded, "Everyone has managed to conjure a corporal Patronus!" he pulled out his wand and said, "Finite Incantatem."

Every Patronus went up in smoke.

"So, as a reward there is no homework this week. However," he frowned, "just because you have managed to complete the spell here does not mean that you will automatically be able to do so when faced with a Dementor but it is a good start and means you're much better prepared to face them."

The bell rang and they were dismissed.

"Hey guys," Gwen stopped them, pulling something from her bag. There were three envelopes, one for each of the other Americans.

"What's this?" Ben asked, setting down his bag and beginning to open the letter.

"Your ticket in," she nodded towards the castle, "I talked to Dumbledore, we can go to school here until we graduate from here…I also talked to Headquarters, they'll station more Plumbers on earth for the duration and our pay won't get c—"

She found herself in a tight hug, from Ben. Then she began turning blue; ever helpful, Kevin pulled apart Ben's arms and freed her.

"Thank you so much!" Ben said elatedly, "Thank you thank you thank you!"

Julie smiled, "Thanks Gwen," before putting a hand on Ben's arm and saying, "C'mon Ben, we need to write our parents…Coming Harry?"

"Sure, need to check on those eggs anyways. Coming guys?"

Hermione and Ron nodded, following.

Kevin and Gwen looked to each other saying, "First one is top!" and took off running, to Gryffindor.

The period after lunch was Herbology.

"Dragonvines?" Ron bellowed, "What the—?"  
"That is enough Mister Weasley!" Professor Sprout said over him, "Five points from Gryffindor for foul language…" she calmed, and smiled, "Who would like to explain to Mister Weasley what Dragonvines are? Miss Tennyson?"

Gwen smiled, "Dragonvines are very poisonous plants that grow Dragonfruit. Dragonfruit and the roots of the Dragonvine have many therapeutic properties. For example, the roots, even when ingested raw, is a cure all antidote and much more common than Bezoar stones. However these plants get their name from the Dragon because of its aggressive nature and nasty bite. It will attack anything within reach…"

"Very good, five points to Gryffindor then. Today we'll just be harvesting Dragonfruit, for Madam Pomfrey and Professor Snape. Everyone got gloves on? Good, six or seven to a plant only and if anyone gets bitten I do have antidotes on hand. GO!"

Ben smirked once they got to their plant, saying, "I've got this guys…_**Swampfire**_!" he turned into the plant controlling alien and established contact, "It's safe guys, she won't hurt anyone…"

The Americans simply walked up to the subdued plant and began plucking the reddish-orange fruit like it was merely apples or tomatoes. The plant's arms stayed lax and so the three British kids followed their friends' example cautiously with Hermione asking, "How is he doing this?"

"The alien he is right now is able to telepathically control plants," Julie offered the explanation; "the alien he is right now _**is**_ a plant. Watch…" without turning around she pulled a dagger from her calf and threw it over her shoulder. Hermione spun around to watch it go straight through Ben's head but he acted like nothing had happened as the hole regenerated. In fact he reached a viney tentacle out and grabbed the dagger from where it had landed and simply handed it back, with the whine, "You know that gives me a migraine Jules…"

She took it back, using it to free a particularly stubborn fruit from its' vine while she muttered an apology to both her boyfriend and the plant she had just harmed.

"What's all this about?" Sprout asked as she came upon the strange scene. While most of the students were batting and losing against her vines these seven were having a walk in the park.

"Harvesting Dragonfruit ma'am," Ben replied easily, "you didn't say we had to get hurt doing this did you?"

"No…"

"And the Dragonvines are safe and healthy, ready to produce more fruit…"

She smiled, "Carry on then."

"Thank you ma'am."

Soon the plant yielded no more fruit and so they all backed up before Ben went back to normal. It was then that they turned in the fruits of their harvest.

Neville came up, bruised and bloody but grinning proudly and turned in just as much as they had; he had been working alone. Once he had been praised he gave up his wand and fainted from exhaustion.

"Mr. Potter," Sprout squeaked, "Mr. Weasley, would you please bring Mr. Longbottom to Hospital Wing?"

"Sure."

"Alright.

Harry brought out his wand and muttered, "Mobilicorpus Neville."

Neville began floating and the group of eight left the greenhouse. After the quick, memorized route up to the Hospital Wing, the seven retired to Gryffindor, and started their Transfiguration essays.

"Why would anyone want to turn rats into teacups?" Gwen questioned.

"Sometimes its teatime and your teacups are broken so you improvise," Hermione explained, "we British folk take our teatime very seriously you know."

"We Yanks wouldn't survive without our coffee," Julie fired back, "but we still wouldn't turn vermin into thermoses you know. It's _**unsanitary**_."

"It's cruel." Gwen added, "the poor rat…"

"When someone turns an animal into an inanimate object the animal doesn't feel or think anything." Hermione assured them, "Or else it would be quite cruel indeed."


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter Fifteen: That Old Red String**

"_**WHAT THE HELL DO YOU TWO THINK YOU'RE DOING!**_"

"_****_!" they jumped from the bed, onto the floor and onto each other.

"Harry?" Hermione gasped.

"Hermione?" he asked confusedly, his glasses were missing.

"What're you doing in my bed!" They demanded in unison, "_**Your**_ bed! That's _**my**_ bed!"

"It's actually Harry's bed," Ben voice broke in, steely, "Hermione what were you doing in it?"

"I—I don'—Oh!"

_**THE PREVIOUS NIGHT**_

"Harry, why're you still up?" she had come down for a drink of water and found him sitting up in front of the fire, or at least the embers.

"No reason." He told her.

"Liar." She called his bluff, coming to sit next to him, withdrawing her wand, pointing it at the fireplace and muttering, "Incendio," to relight the flames. "What's wrong?"

"Can't sleep…"

"…are you having nightmares Harry?" she asked softly.

He reluctantly nodded.

"About what?"

"Everything." He whispered, "About the chamber, the spiders, about the stone, that awful Quidditch match when Snape hexed my broom, that troll, about my life…"

"You won Harry," she assured him gently.

"No I haven't Mione, he's still out there; he's still alive somehow and now he has a servant and…"

"Ssshhh, Harry; you've won the previous rounds, you'll win the next. You've got backup now. You're not alone, you've never been and you never will be…"

"This time's different Mione, I can feel it—"

"Hush, let that be tomorrow's problem; you need to go to bed…"

"I don't wan—"

"You're going to bed. _**Now**_."

"Stay with me then, until I fall asleep…"

"Don't you have a plushie?"

"No…"

"Fine," she stood up, hauling him up and smothering the fire, "let's get you to bed…"

She let him lead her up the boys' staircase and into his dormitory. She got him comfortable, underneath the covers, before climbing in herself, on top of the covers, and conjured her own blanket. She felt him settle down and sighed almost silently. As soon as he fell asleep she was going back…to…her own…bed….

"Apparently I fell asleep here." She concluded her story. As she didn't look 'corrupted' Ben sighed, deciding to take it easy on them.

"Alright, alright; cold showers the both of you and I won't tell Gwen…"

They looked at each other before looking up to him, "and if we don't?"

"Cold showers, chaperones everywhere you go every second of the day, temporarily sterilizing birth control vaccines, a very embarrassing conversation, the teachers will be alerted, and she will write to Mrs. Weasley and Mrs. Granger and Mr. Granger…"

They looked horrified, jumping up and racing out and to the showers. Or at least Hermione did and Harry tried to…he had forgotten his glasses. There were several small thuds before a very much louder one and then Hermione's shout of, "Ben! He broke his back!"

Ben sighed, calling, "I'm coming, don't move him." He grabbed the boy's forgotten glasses, pocketing them, and headed down. "We need Gwen," he stated simply as he stepped over the severely injured student and up the third staircase, saying calmly to the monk portrait, "Tandenite."

The monk allowed him entrance, he walked through the common room and kitchen to the fourth staircase and was then stopped by a muggle door which he pounded on, calling calmly, "Hey Gwen, Harry took a nasty fall down the boys' staircase and broke his back…"  
The door opened to reveal a very angry looking Gwen. She was dressed only in her silken bathrobe. "Be back in a minute Kev." She stormed down the staircases and to Harry, healing him quickly but perfectly before storming back to her room.

"What's her problem?" Harry asked as Hermione helped him to his feet and gave him his glasses.

"It is five am, Saturday morning, on Valentine's Day, she and her fiancé have a private apartment with no supervision…" Ben replied.

"Oh."

"Right, off to the showers you two…"

"Fine." They marched off.

"And they better be _**icy**_!"

"Fine!"

When they came back both were blue tinged and shivering, teeth chattering. They clambered into the armchair, huddling together under a very thick conjured blanket.

"I hate you." They spoke in unison to their tormentor. He shrugged, "Trust me, in the long run you'll thank me…"

"Whatever," Hermione yawned, setting her head on Harry's shoulder, "can you relight the fire?"

"I've got it Mione," Harry said softly, drawing his wand, aiming, and muttering the needed spell before stowing his wand.

"Thank you Harry." She snuggled down against him, seeking and giving warmth. Harry, not thinking about what it may or may not look like, rested his temple against the crown of her head after taking off and pocketing his glasses.

They soon fell back to sleep. Ben smiled, they were so cute together. He then kicked up his feet and settled down for a nap of his own.

He woke up to Julie moving his feet to where she could sit down.

"What time's it?" he muttered.

"About seven. They're still asleep in the chair. What happened?"

He repeated the story, still a bit tired, moving himself to have his head in her lap.

"Go to sleep Ben," she muttered, stroking his bangs from forehead.

"And miss this view?" he grinned up at her cheekily.

"You little perv."

"I love you."

"I love you too Ben."

He fell asleep for the next hour and then the entire group went to Hogsmeade. They had breakfast in a lovely little 'Mom&Pop' shop before deciding on what stores to visit.

"We're visiting the toy shop, Harry," Hermione told her friend sternly.

"What for?" Harry and Ron asked. She leant close to Harry, "To get you a plushie. I do not like cold showers, do you?" she hissed in his ear. He shook his head.

Once again they split, with Ron going to Honeydukes with Julie in tow again. Everyone else headed to the toy store. Once again, once they entered the shop Kevin took his leave, whispering something to Gwen as he so.

Harry and Hermione went up to the old wizened shop owner. The old man chuckled, pointing them to the stuffed animal section of his store. There were many mundane plushies, there were many fantastical ones and there were all different colors and materials. "Ooohhh! How's about an Acromantula Harry?" she held up the large mottled brown stuffed spider.

"Ah, no." he laughed, "It would give Ron nightmares…"

She grimaced, "I swear that boy isn't fourteen!" she put the spider down.

"A billywig then?" she pointed out the hovering, spinning electric blue insect like stuffed thing.

"Too weird."

'Howzabout Cerberus?" she pointed out a stuffed Fluffy that panted like a real dog.

"Nah. I still get the willies about him."

"Chimera?" The chimera teddy roared, baaed, and hissed.

"Is it venomous?"

"…A Crup?" the fork tailed Scottish terrier plushie activated, barking.

Harry shook his head no and then noticed a vicious looking stuffed dragon, "What's this?"

He held up the black scaled, yellow eyed, bronze spiked miniature monster. It hissed and roared and flapped it's stiffened felt wings irritably

"A dragon, Harry, the most dangerous kind; a Hungarian Horntail."

"Huh," Harry's eyebrow rose, "I like him."

"Alright." Hermione took it and they bought it under the guise of it being for her and the group left the store.

As they walked down the street way Gwen suddenly froze, spun about and sprinted off into the alleyway with the order of, "Ben with me! Kev get the kids back to the castle!"

They split up appropriately, Ben running into the alleyway to find Gwen trapping a man in a manna box, "Holy shit! Is that really—?"

She nodded, eyes narrowed and tone icy as she replied, "Yes. Peter Pettigrew in the flesh. I saw him turn into _**Scabbers**_ of all things…"

"But Sirius Black—"

"May really be innocent. We need to get the rat back to Dumbledore…"

Safely in the headmaster's office, surrounded by Ministry of Magic 'Aurors' (special wizard police), Plumbers, and the entire human staff of Hogwarts, divested of his wand, bounded to a stiff high-backed chair by cords of both magic and metal, Peter Pettigrew was force fed Truth Serum and, with a Plumber tape recorder recording, interrogated by Ben (he was the ranking Plumber…);

"Who are you?"

"Pe—Peter Pettigrew." It was obvious he was fighting the **Veritaserum.**

"Did you kill those twelve civilians twelve years ago?"

"Y-Yes."

"Did you do so to escape?"

"Y-Yes."

"Why was Sirius Black after you?"

"I-I-I betrayed the Potters to the Dark Lord."

Muffled gasps were heard but the most affected seemed to be Snape and Lupin, both of whom had helpfully positively identified Peter Pettigrew as Peter Pettigrew.

"You—"

"Professor!" Gwen cried out, "Hold your tongue! Please!"

"Why did you betray them?"

"The Dark Lord will rule all, all challengers are to be killed."

"So, you betrayed your best friend and his family, his wife and baby son, to a sociopath for some eugenic ideal that you yourself fail…" Ben looked disgusted.

"Do you have any information that will lead to the capture of Sirius Black?"

"Yes."

Lupin stepped in, "So do I; James, Sirius and Peter became Animagi in order to be with me on the night of the Full Moon, when I am a werewolf. James was a stag, Peter a rat, and Sirius a great black dog."

"Right." Ben looked to his comrades and the Aurors, "APB: Sirius Black is to be found, told of the changes to his circumstances, and brought to Hogwarts alive. The Newspapers are to rerun his wanted posters with this new rule underneath them. Understand?"

"Yes."

"Yes sir."

Ben then took Peter's wand and grounded it into a very fine powder before activating his com-link to Plumber headquarters, "Yes, this is Benjamin Tennyson of Bellwood USA North America of Earth. We need a Level A Prisoner Transport please from the Headmaster's Office of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Hogsmeade, Scotland. Prisoner: Peter Pettigrew, Species: Human, abilities: Magical abilities including turning into a rat. Charges: twelve counts of murder, two accessories to murder, one accessory to attempted murder, one attempted murder and more to come I'm sure…Yes, he's ready…"

Within a moment seventeen senior Plumbers phased into the room, bound and gagged Peter so thoroughly that not even a rat could escape from them. They then caged him in an energy transportation cell that robbed him of his powers. They phased out, the leader of the group taking the taped interrogation with them.

In Gryffindor Harry paced restlessly; he was cooped up and he didn't like it at all.

"Calm down Harry," Hermione told him.

"I can't," he replied, "They're not telling us something, Mione. They've penned us up and aren't telling us why…"

"They have a good reason, I'm sure."

"Maybe they've gotten Black," Ron suggested helpfully.

"Hey guys!" Julie came walking in, "Good news. That Black guy probably isn't an insane murderer after Harry!"

"What?"

"They've found Peter Pettigrew and he's confessed to betraying the Potters to Voldemort. You'll never guess where he's been hiding this entire time…"

"Where?"

"With the Weasleys!"

"_**What?**_"

"He's an unregistered Animagus! He was _**Scabbers**_!"

"What!"

She laughed, "That was our reactions! Anyways Gwen found and caught him out in Hogsmeade. We're still looking for Black but he's an innocent man… So, Harry's free to go wherever the hell he wants again."

Harry turned to Ron, "Hedwig's eggs hatched, you can have one of the owls 'cause your rat was really a murderer and Errol's probably on his last leg."

"Thanks mate."


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen: Guy Talks**

It was a veritable war council; Fred, George, Ben, and Kevin were gathered in the third years' boys' dormitory.

"Guys," Harry started nervously, wringing his hands, "I want to ask Hermione out…"

"…?"

"…?"

"…?"

"…?"

"…And you're asking _**us**_ for _**advice**_ on _**dating**_?" Ben spoke incredulously; he and Kevin looked to each other before breaking into howls of mirth.

"What's so funny?" Harry asked, shocked.

"He-He," Kevin pointed to Ben, gasping for the breath needed to speak, "He had to be tossed at Julie, by Gwen of all people, to make him finally ask her out! _**Twice**_! He-he _**pined**_ for months from what I've heard!"

"And-and-and Kevin here, Kevin here wouldn't ask Gwen out for _**months**_!"

They continued laughing, flopping onto beds and beginning to turn blue, gasping out other information.

"In conclusion," George deadpanned, "you should probably ask some birds…" Fred finished, "We'll go get a couple of them…"

They marched down the staircase, grabbed Gwen and Julie, and came back.

Harry reiterated his conundrum, and the girls set him straight before bringing in Hermione and dragging their men out.

Several minutes later there was a squeal that was high enough in pitch to shatter the windows and the four bodyguards rushed up stairs to find the two teens connected by the lips.

"Dear Anodine," Gwen muttered before clapping her hands together and then slowly dragging them apart. A thin sheet of pink energy had appeared between the two teens and as she dragged her hands apart it thickened forcing the two to part themselves.

"Showers. _**Now**_." Gwen ordered, reminding Harry very much of Mrs. Weasley on the morning that Fred, George, and Ron rescued him from the Dursleys. Her green eyes were sparking and neither wanted to try her patience. They nodded, running down the staircase, blushing madly, and to the showers,

"Julie, Ben," Gwen turned to her comrades, "I'm counting on you two to keep the two of them under supervision during the night…we do not need any…_**accidents**_; do you understand? If any _**accidents**_ occur I will personally take an amount of flesh equal to the weight of the _**accident**_ from both of you. And I will start with areas you're very partial to."

They nodded, chorusing to her, "Yes ma'am."

"Good. Now make sure they're showering alone."

"Yes ma'am" and the two sped out.

Gwen turned to Kevin, "We need to put bars on our fireplaces, and the teleporters need to be locked down too."

"On it."

She pinched the bridge of her nose, "What did we just do?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen: H.A.S.T (**_**Hogwarts Approved Standardized Testing**_**) Testing**

That special time of the year was upon them, finals.

They were largely practical exams, spells needing to be demonstrated and potions to be made perfectly. And so they were easy enough to deal with, although it was very clear that Hermione flunked Divination. She was nearly hysterical over this fact and had to be sedated.

They were relaxing outside the castle one lunch hour, The four Americans, Hermione, and Ron, lounged against the birch tree as Harry wandered freely when they heard a commotion; Malfoy was harassing Harry once again.

"You and what army Scarhead?" the blond asked maliciously.

"This army." Malfoy paled as he saw the six approach.

"Who are you?" Malfoy spat out.

"His army." Ben said.

"His bodyguards," added Julie.

"His friends," interjected Hermione.

"His family." Ron intoned.

"His parents." Hissed Kevin and Gwen, both stepping forward to get between the boys, "You've got five seconds to run…One…"

"You can't do anything to _**me**_!"

"Two…"

"My father's on the board of gover—"

"Three…"

"Harry step back please," Gwen and Kevin readied their wands.

"Four…"

"Malfoy, _**you bloody idiot**_, _**run**_!"

"Fiv—"

Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle fled the scene.

Later that night Harry sat in bed, cuddling his stuffed dragon.

"Harry," Gwen's voice called up the stairs, "Harry," she came into the dormitory and found him, "Harry what's wrong? You didn't come down to dinner," she sat on Ron's bed.

"D-did you guys mean it?"

"Mean what?"

"You and Kevin told Malfoy you've adopted me, did you mean it?"

"Yes of course we did."

"But you're only a few years older than me!"

"Doesn't matter, you have a home with us Harry. We'll protect and provide for you. You're a Tennyson now." She smiled, "and a Levin." She stood up, telling him, "Now come down, we brought you dinner."

He, smiling and nodding happily, jumped up and followed her down.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen: Home Sweet Home**

"C'mon Harry!" she called up the staircase, "the train'll be leaving soon!"

"Coming!" with one final mighty jump the lock of his trunk clicked shut. He wiped the sweet from his forehead before jumping down. He locked Hedwig in her cage, set her atop his luggage and then pocketed both his wand and invisibility cloak and jogging down to meet his group.

The train ride was uneventful. Hermione and Gwen read (_Advanced Transfiguration for Advanced Minds_ and _Hogwarts: A History_ respectively), Harry and Ben played a game of wizarding chess, Kevin napped, and Julie and Ron played Exploding Snap.

Malfoy and his cronies never made an appearance. The train pulled into King's Cross after the requisite few hours journey and parents stood on the platform, waiting to hug their children and whatnot. Chief among them were Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Mr. and Mrs. Granger, and "Grandpa!"

Max Tennyson stood, beaming, waiting to welcome his grandchildren home. The American four rushed the old man, engulfing him in a tight group hug. Harry hung back, unsure of his place in this family reunion. Gwen and Kevin were the first to stop hugging and retreated back to where Harry stood, clapped their hands onto his shoulders and pushed him towards Max. Ben and Julie made way from him.

"Hello Harry," Max greeted, "I'm Max Tennyson, but just call me 'Grandpa'. All the kids do."

"O…kay."

"Harry!" Hermione's voice called as she ran up, with a scroll in her hands, "Thank Merlin! I thought you left already!" she turned to Kevin and Gwen, handing them the scroll, "Here's a list of all his food allergies, recipes for potions he may need, an inventory of all his possessions, his homework assignments, and contact information for Professor Dumbledore, The Minister of Magic, the Head of the Aurors Division, the Head Healer of St. Mungo's and myself."

"He'll be fine Hermione," Gwen assured her as Kevin took the scroll, "We promise."

"Just making sure…"

"Mione," Harry tugged on her hand, making her turn to face him, "I'll be fine."

"You always attract trouble!"

"and yet here I am…" he smiled.

"Hermione Jane Granger!" her father called.

"Call me, owl me?" she whispered and he nodded, "Bet on it Mione."

"Hermione!"

"Coming!" she gave him a quick kiss, "Be safe, please." She ran off.

"Ready to go home kid?" Kevin asked as Ship appeared with the luggage.

"Yeah," Harry smiled and nodded, "Yeah I am."

_**END**_


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